Agriculture: Carbon Emissions

Debate between Lord Gardiner of Kimble and Lord Spicer

Tuesday 2nd April 2019 Lords Chamber

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

My Lords, clearly we endorse the greenhouse gas plan by industry, but we are looking at further ways in which we can improve it. In fact, we have commissioned research from Scotland’s Rural College into greenhouse gas mitigation options to address what we think are existing knowledge gaps. Certainly we are working and commissioning on how best we can reduce emissions from agriculture, which produces about 10% of our emissions.

[Lord Spicer (Con)]

My Lords, if and when we sign a trade agreement with the United States, is it not likely that food prices will fall and environmental concerns relating to standards will rise?

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

My Lords, the basis of precision farming in this country is that we think we produce excellent food—the best in the world—both for home consumption and for export. Whatever trade agreements we have with any countries, clearly we have our own standards, which will remain. I think that people should buy British products because they are the best.

Inshore Fisheries

Debate between Lord Gardiner of Kimble and Lord Spicer

Monday 3rd July 2017 Lords Chamber

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

I remember replying to the debate on that very interesting report, but I am afraid I cannot remember the precise details. I know that it featured the phrase “the requirement for co-operation”, which is clearly important; that it said we need to fish sustainably, which is also important; and that the sub-committee saw that there were opportunities for the domestic fishing industry. I remember the noble Lord, Lord Teverson, and the sub-committee giving us a very helpful and important report, which has and continues to have considerable consideration by the department.

[Lord Spicer (Con)]

My Lords, is not the noble Lord, Lord West, with whom I often agree on many matters, arguing that the Royal Navy is out of control on fishing protection? Surely, that cannot be right.

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

We rely very much on the Royal Navy and I am pleased to acknowledge what it does, and has done over centuries, to help us with the protection of fisheries. It is very important that we work with the Royal Navy, Border Force and a number of other agencies, including the National Crime Agency, so that we not only have a sustainable and successful fishing industry but we co-operate, which we must do, with our partners in Europe so that we have robust and clear negotiations.

Flood Defences

Debate between Lord Gardiner of Kimble and Lord Spicer

Thursday 1st December 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

My Lords, I understand what the Lord said. The whole purpose of Flood Re is precisely to give householders—53,000 home insurance policies are now backed by Flood Re—the benefit of affordable insurance, but I am grateful to the noble Lord for his comments.

[Lord Spicer (Con)]

My Lords—

--- Later in debate ---

[Lord Spicer]

My Lords, is it possible that we waste a lot of money on flood defence systems? Especially around rivers, you do not abolish flood-water by spending money on defences but simply push it on elsewhere. In my former constituency, I did wonders for Upton upon Severn and ruined the lives of people in Tewkesbury.

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

My Lords, the whole of the taxpayer’s financing of this is predicated on receiving the best value we possibly can. Perhaps under the natural capital programme, with the further £15 million following on for schemes such as those in Pickering, Holnicote and Upper Derwent, we can have whole catchment systems on rivers such as those my noble friend mentioned, whereby we engineer the use of natural capital.

Japanese Knotweed

Debate between Lord Gardiner of Kimble and Lord Spicer

Monday 7th November 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

I am all for raising money for local charities but, ideally, I would much prefer to have our native species than this invasive species, which is harming our natural environment.

[Lord Spicer (Con)]

Is the Minister aware that our noble friend Lady Sharples is somewhat of a patron saint among gardeners for her sustained attack on Japanese knotweed and for telling Ministers to get knotted every so often when they give excuses?

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

I know that my noble friend is tenacious and persistent. I very much hope she will continue to keep Defra and me on our guard, making sure that we do all the things, such as the Check, Clean, Dry and Be Plant Wise campaigns, that we need to make ourselves ever more biosecure.

Flooding

Debate between Lord Gardiner of Kimble and Lord Spicer

Monday 7th December 2015 Lords Chamber

[Lord Spicer (Con)]

My Lords, in the almost 40 years that I represented Worcestershire in the House of Commons flooding was one of two issues that came up the whole time. Does my noble friend accept that you cannot hide flood water? If you build barriers in one place, particularly on a river, and keep out the water in a particular place it is quite likely to be pushed on to another place. That happened continually in my old constituency. Upton-on-Severn was always flooding and was almost a national treasure for that at one point. Once we got that sorted out the whole lot went down to Tewkesbury and flooded that out. Therefore, when people call on the Government to spend more money on barriers, I hope he will bear that in mind.

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

My Lords, my noble friend has great experience of the flooding in his constituency and we have all seen the difficulties when many residents and businesses on the River Severn have been so affected. It is important to note that in Cumbria all the flood storage reservoirs were utilised—at Carlisle, Wigton, Longtown, Kendal and Penrith—and, indeed, the flood basins at Garstang and Catterall on the River Wyre were immensely valuable in preventing more properties being flooded. Therefore, how we stall water or how to slow the flow are things that we need to look at more rigorously.

Battle of Waterloo: 200th Anniversary

Debate between Lord Gardiner of Kimble and Lord Spicer

Monday 12th January 2015 Lords Chamber

[Lord Spicer (Con)]

My Lords, on the morning of the Battle of Waterloo the Duke wrote: “I have no time to write a short letter so I will write a long one”. He was probably referring to a divorce case in which he was unfortunately one of the cited parties. Is it not the case that, had the journalistic practices that prevail today applied in that time, he might never have been supreme commander and we might have lost?

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

My Lords, we can all be extremely grateful for the Duke of Wellington’s courage and bravery.

UK Economy: Tourism

Debate between Lord Gardiner of Kimble and Lord Spicer

Thursday 20th November 2014 Lords Chamber

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

My Lords, the Government are clear that, where the living wage is affordable for a company, we encourage it to pay it.

[Lord Spicer (Con)]

My Lords, how can you have a successful tourist industry if your major airports are full up?

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

That is why we are very keen to hear the reports as to how we can address the matter.