EU-UK SPS Agreement: Food-related Standards

Lord Bellingham Excerpts

Monday 18th May 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

I would be very happy to make the suggestion.

[Lord Bellingham (Con)]

My Lords, when answering the question asked by my noble friend Lord Redwood, the Minister mentioned sovereignty and Britain being a sovereign nation. Parliament is also sovereign, so can she confirm that, if major changes are brought in, they will not be through SIs, which cannot be properly debated and amended?

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

As I said to the noble Lord, Lord Redwood, the European partnership Bill will be coming to this House. That will allow plenty of time for debate on these issues.

Sustainable Farming Incentive: Flood Prevention and Drought Resilience

Lord Bellingham Excerpts

Thursday 23rd April 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

It is not something I can confirm today, but I am more than happy to take that back to the department and to discuss the different options.

[Lord Bellingham (Con)]

My Lords, as the Minister is obviously aware, all these schemes will require funding contributions from the farms in question. That will probably rule out most small farms, so we are discussing medium to larger-sized farms. The Minister mentioned sustainability, long-term planning and profitability, but these are the very farms that will be hammered by the family farm tax, which, as well as destroying jobs and family farms, will prevent money going into these schemes. I suggest that, if she wants to rebuild credibility and trust with the farming community, she and other Ministers should now call for this policy to be reversed.

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

I am sure that the noble Lord is aware that the Government made some changes to the inheritance tax policy. We are continuing to listen to farms and farm businesses. I am sure noble Lords know that we have a small holding; I am very aware of the challenges for small farms and know a number of small farmers where we live. It is important to look at how we get farms into profitability—that has to be the focus—which is why I was so pleased to see the report from the noble Baroness, Lady Batters. The Government are looking to introduce many of her recommendations.

Farming Road Map

Lord Bellingham Excerpts

Thursday 16th April 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

It has been important in developing a number of strategies, not just the farming road map, to have regular contact and input with stakeholders—and not just talking to stakeholders but listening to what they are saying to us. We are not going to make the kind of progress that we want to if we do not bring with us stakeholders such as those that the noble Baroness talked about. This is ongoing work and the noble Baroness is right to raise the importance of working closely with stakeholders.

[Lord Bellingham (Con)]

My Lords, I declare my interests in the register. Farmers in the UK have now adjusted very well to post-Brexit freedoms. Can the Minister confirm that, if HMG introduced legislation allowing single market rules to be adopted across the UK, it would be subject to full parliamentary scrutiny and a proper vote, and not brought in by SI?

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

Discussions with the EU are ongoing, so I cannot say whether they will include some of the issues that the noble Lord talked about. I am sure he is aware that the Government are intending to introduce legislation to enable the EU reset to go ahead, once we have finished negotiations. There will be opportunity to debate that.

Farmers: Competitiveness

Lord Bellingham Excerpts

Tuesday 3rd June 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

I am sure the noble Lord is aware that there was a consultation on labelling fairly recently, which we are looking at. There are certain issues. What do we want on our labels? Country of origin is clearly something the public are particularly interested in. Also, what are the standards and the methods of production? There is a lot of interest in what labelling could include. We also need to be careful to ensure that the labelling that exists currently, and any future labelling brought in, is honest, because sometimes things that look British are not necessarily so.

[Lord Bellingham (Con)]

My Lords, I declare my interests as in the register. Is the Minister aware that since the start of 2024 the level of sheepmeat imports is up by 59%? During the same period, the number of sheep in the UK is down by 40%. Why are the Government not doing more to help sheep farmers and upland areas?

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

As I mentioned in response to the noble Baroness, it is important that when we reform our SFI we look at how we can support upland farmers more. It is also about getting the right balance between levels of grazing and environmental support. I will give a quick shout-out for Cumbrian sheep. Herdwick sheep are extremely important to our landscapes in Cumbria. I think it is important that our supermarkets and our butchers support locally bred meats as well.

Farming and Rural Communities

Lord Bellingham Excerpts

Thursday 3rd April 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bellingham (Con)]

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Best, who has given us some very interesting ideas about housing. I declare my interests as in the register and congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Roborough, on moving this debate.

We have heard a lot of facts and figures, but in my short contribution, I want to try to get behind the facts and look at some of the human interest in this and some of the real examples. In fact, the noble Lord, Lord Harlech, did the same with his two examples. I was lucky enough to be briefed by my NFU contact, who explained to me exactly what is happening in one particular Norfolk village in the heart of the Norfolk rural community—not my old constituency, and I will not identify it. I want to take your Lordships on a great tour of that village and the farming activities in and around it.

Farm A is a 1,200-acre farm in this village of 400 people which has a thriving school, a church, a pub and a village shop. It is a tenanted farm from a big estate, and it is well run, mainly arable, with some water meadows, two full-time employees and two sons who qualify under the 1948 legislation. The farmer is on the parish council. The wife is involved with the school as a governor and is a PCC.

Farm B is a 600-acre farm that is owned by fourth-generation farmers. They have two daughters. He operates as a contractor to enhance his business. He and his wife are also very involved with the community.

Farm C is an owner-occupied farm of 200 acres which has been in the family for four generations. It is a small farm which has morphed into being more of a hobby farm, as the two brothers involved are also involved in other businesses to make ends meet.

Farm D was bought about 30 years ago by a commercial farming family. It is a very well-run family farm of 1,400 acres, with two full-time employees and three children. The farmer is vice-chairman of the parish council.

My NFU friend and I talked through what might happen under these inheritance tax changes. The farmer at the tenanted farm is really worried. You might think, “He’s not involved, he’s a tenant”, but if the estate involved is hit by 20% IHT, it will have to raise £10 million over 10 years. What will it do? It will probably sell the tenanted farm for solar arrays. As my noble friend Lord Grayling pointed out, in Norfolk a lot of grade 1 agricultural land is going over to solar, which is a disaster. The tenant could be evicted. The house would be sold to a second-home owner. The support for community would be lost.

I have also spoken to the farmer with the 600-acre farm, who is devastated. He has two daughters and no idea what to do. He is over 80. He was going to wait until he died. The farm would then be left and there would be no IHT. What will he do? Will he sell it now? No, probably he will take the hit and the farm will be sold, probably to a large farming company.

Farm C is 200 acres. The Government go on about how this will not affect small farms, yet 200 acres is a tiny farm which will definitely be hit by this. Half the farm will be sold. It will probably be consolidated into a much bigger holding.

Farm D is an interesting case. The farmer is relatively young. He has three children—two sons who do not want to farm and a daughter who might want to farm—and a grandson who wants to go to Cirencester. He does not want to take a decision at the moment about making the farm over because if he does, he will have sibling meltdown. He wants to wait until he dies and then probably make it over to the grandson. If he makes it over now, what will the two sons feel about their inheritance? One is a doctor, the other works in finance.

As the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Hereford pointed out, we will see a consolidation of holdings and a destruction of local supply chains, as all these farms use local suppliers. We will see communities broken up. Farmers feel very angry. Is it surprising? Just over a year ago, Steve Reed, the shadow Environment Secretary, gave a “cast-iron guarantee” that an incoming Labour Government would not make any changes to IHT relief. Farmers trusted in him. Some voted Labour; they feel totally betrayed. How do the Government expect to deliver the rural agenda of a farming policy without the good will of farmers? They have lost that good will. Farmers feel betrayed. There is still time to make up and repair the damage, but time is running out. I implore Ministers to listen.

Sustainable Farming Incentive

Lord Bellingham Excerpts

Tuesday 18th March 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

On food security, as I mentioned earlier, we currently have 37,000 farmers in the SFI scheme, which equates to about 50% of farmland. The purpose of that is to support them to produce food sustainably while also delivering for nature. The SFI agreements last for three years, so, although we have closed the new applications, the live agreements—the 37,000—remain unaffected and can continue to support sustainable food production.

We are committed to improving food security and are aware that SFI is a major tool that we need to use to support that. We are also looking to boost food security with other tangible measures. For example, we recently committed to ensure wherever possible that half of food supplied into the public sector is produced locally or certified to high environmental standards. We have also announced a five-year extension to the seasonal workers visa route and we are looking at reform to the planning system so that farmers can put the necessary infrastructure in place that they need in order to continue to produce food sustainably.

[Lord Bellingham (Con)]

My Lords, further to the question from the noble Lord, Lord Cromwell, is the Minister aware that, speaking in the House of Commons before the election, the then shadow Defra Minister, Danny Zeichner, said that farmers in the UK needed complete certainty and stability on the SFI? He went on to say that an incoming Labour Government would provide exactly that. Is this the Minister’s idea of complete certainty and stability?

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

I completely understand that the closure so quickly and unexpectedly has caused difficulties and concern—I just want to say that. However, it is important that, looking to the 25-year farming road map that we are developing, part of the reasoning behind that is to try to give that kind of security. It is also important that, when we look at opening the SFI scheme next time, all this is taken into consideration, so that our reforms produce a more stable scheme. He is absolutely right that farmers need certainty and security, because farming is looking at long-term investments and farmers need to be able to know how to make those investments. So I take his point.

Avian Influenza

Lord Bellingham Excerpts

Tuesday 4th February 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

We work very closely with APHA—the Animal and Plant Health Agency—and are very pleased that we have secured funding for the continued upgrading at Weybridge. We also work with the other sites in order to ensure that we have the best research possible to deal with our ongoing biosecurity and disease risks, of which there are, unfortunately, so many these days.

[Lord Bellingham (Con)]

My Lords, I pay tribute to various poultry farmers across Norfolk and, in particular, in my former constituency of North West Norfolk, who set the highest possible standards of biosecurity and animal welfare. Can the Minister say something about what HMG are doing to co-ordinate action across the devolved Administrations? Can she confirm to the House that her department is firmly in control and that there is one unified policy?

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

I can absolutely reassure the noble Lord on that. I speak very regularly with my devolved Administration counterparts and, obviously, we discuss issues such as avian influenza. My officials work constantly with the devolved Administration officials as well when we have an outbreak such as this.

Foot and Mouth Disease

Lord Bellingham Excerpts

Thursday 16th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

I cannot provide the noble Baroness with any specific dates on those agreements at present. All I can say to her at this stage is that it is very much a government priority and we are working closely with the EU to make progress as best we can.

[Lord Bellingham (Con)]

The Government have imposed a blanket ban on all livestock products coming from Germany to England, Wales and Scotland but it is a much narrower ban in respect of Northern Ireland, where the ban applies only to a restricted zone around where the outbreak took place. Can she comment on that, and say whether she and her colleagues have been in touch with her counterparts in the Irish Republic?

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

We are of course regularly in touch with our counterparts across all the devolved Governments, and the Governments in Germany and the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland is subject to the EU import rules, which is why it is not included in the ban we brought in yesterday. This includes regionalisation requirements and is set out in EU legislation. Northern Ireland is protected from the disease coming in through being included in the EU ban, so Northern Ireland is as protected as the rest of Great Britain through those measures. The noble Lord can be certain that the EU would not want to see any spread of this disease to any other part of the European Union, and that includes the Republic of Ireland and, through the way the regulations are currently set up, Northern Ireland as well. I met yesterday with politicians from Northern Ireland and reassured them that we are as serious about stopping the disease entering Northern Ireland as we are in respect of any other part of the UK.

Avian Flu: Turkeys in Norfolk

Lord Bellingham Excerpts

Thursday 12th December 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

Clearly, it is really important that we work closely with our European neighbours. The incidences of avian flu are currently not what we have seen in previous years, but we must not be complacent. Working with our European neighbours to monitor outbreaks is absolutely critical, because wild birds fly very long distances so this is an international problem. Regarding the SPS agreements, all I can say is that we are making progress and continuing discussions with the EU.

[Lord Bellingham (Con)]

My Lords, my former Norfolk constituency contains a large number of poultry farms that invariably set the highest standards of animal health and biosecurity. The noble Baroness, Lady Miller of Chilthorne Domer, asked a question on insurance. Many farmers obviously find it difficult to get this insurance. The key thing is for the Government to work with the insurance industry to try to find a way forward, so can the Minister elaborate a bit more on her earlier reply on that point?

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

As I said, insurance is a difficult issue. It becomes difficult in many areas—I am sure noble Lords are aware of the difficulties for businesses during flooding as well. Getting insurance in certain business cases is complex. All I can say is that we are extremely aware of the problems that occurred last time for poultry farmers in getting insurance. The outbreak this time is very low compared with previous years, but we are being proactive and doing our best to prevent further outbreaks. We are working with insurance companies to make sure that we have the best outcomes that we can, should this outbreak get worse.

Storm Bert

Lord Bellingham Excerpts

Tuesday 26th November 2024 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

Obviously, the noble Baroness is aware that we discussed this at some length during the Water (Special Measures) Bill. It is important that water authorities and water companies look at how they can best use nature-based solutions. It is an important way to prevent flooding and pollution. I am sure that as we continue to work with water companies, going through the commission, the review and so on, we can make sure that these are a central part of how they design their drainage structures going forward. I think I am going to have to cave in and say I would love to come to Pickering.

[Lord Bellingham (Con)]

My Lords, obviously, one of the consequences of severe floods is a big increase in the amount of raw sewage being discharged through storm overflows. For example, apparently, 7 million extra litres of storm overflow went into Lake Windermere. Can the Minister confirm to the House that there will be a comprehensive analysis of these incidents, and whether the Cunliffe review will be looking at the problems caused by these recent floods?

[Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)]

My understanding is that the review will be wide ranging. Clearly, pollution incidents, particularly around sewage, will be part of what the review can look at. I think the water companies and the Environment Agency will be looking at the extent of pollution incidents during the recent flooding, and that can then be evaluated.