Often, the NFU seeks to amend legislation, suggesting ways to improve individual lines in a Bill and then persuading politicians to table and vote for our amendments.
While we always try to amend legislation in the Commons, the truth is it鈥檚 often easier in the House of Lords. In the Commons, MPs are tightly 鈥榳hipped鈥� to vote along party lines.聽
In the Lords, the whipping is more relaxed and no party has a majority. The House of Lords also includes non-partisan 鈥榗rossbenchers鈥� and 26 Bishops.
In recent months, I鈥檝e written about the 鈥榮uper six鈥� 鈥� six pieces of legislation that farmers need to know about. 聽Three of those are now in the Lords, and the NFU is taking steps to try and change them for our members' benefit.
1. Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
This Bill introduces several new provisions about border security, including the creation of a new role 鈥� the Border Security Commander.
皇家华人welcomes the Bill, but we were disappointed to see no reference 鈥� either in the Bill or in the Commander鈥檚 responsibilities 鈥� to biosecurity. 聽
For the NFU, biosecurity is a vital part of border security.
Therefore, we have drafted an amendment to clarify that biosecurity is indeed part of border security, and to create a duty on the Border Security Commander to have regard for illegal meat imports.
We successfully lobbied Labour Peer Lord Rooker who, as former Defra Minister and Chair of the Food Standards Agency, has been a hugely important voice supporting the NFU鈥檚 asks on biosecurity, to table the amendments.聽
Read: Investment in biosecurity needed as diseases threaten British food and farming
Thanks to further NFU lobbying, former Defra Secretary Baroness Coffey (Conservatives) and the Bishop of Hereford agreed to co-sponsor them. The more cross-party support you can get for an amendment, the better.
When we table amendments, we don鈥檛 always expect to win. Sometimes we use them to get the government to consider the NFU鈥檚 perspective, create a parliamentary debate, and get formal reassurances on the record.
These are known as probing amendments.聽That鈥檚 exactly what happened in this case. You can read the excellent . We were pleased to hear the Home Office Minister confirm:
鈥淚t is absolutely right that biosecurity will be a key issue for the Border Security Commander. The threats posed to UK biosecurity by illegal meat imports are implicitly included within the definition of threats to border security in Clause 3. The commander will and does work closely with colleagues in Defra and Border Force through his board to ensure that the strategic priorities for border security are tackled.鈥�
Because we received the reassurances we wanted, Lord Rooker didn鈥檛 need to push the amendment to a vote.
2. Renters鈥� Rights Bill
One area where our lobbying succeeded in a vote being held, which we subsequently won, was on the Renters鈥� Rights Bill.
The Bill introduces a new ground to regain possession of a dwelling when it鈥檚 needed to house someone employed as an agricultural worker, or a seasonal worker 鈥� something the NFU supports. But crucially, the provision didn鈥檛 cover situations where the worker is self-employed.
皇家华人wanted to see this ground extended to include self-employed workers, such as a self-employed party to a share-farming arrangement, or a self-employed shepherd or dairy relief worker.
We worked with crossbench Peer Lord Carrington to table amendments to this effect, which passed by 253 votes to 150.
While that doesn鈥檛 mean the Bill is law just yet, it鈥檚 a major step forward towards ensuring the final version reflects the real-world needs of farming businesses.
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
Perhaps the Bill causing most concern right now is the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. There鈥檚 some good stuff in it 鈥� we all want measures to modernise the planning system, reduce the regulatory burden, and speed up applications.
But there are also some serious concerns. The Bill removes certain requirements for pre-application consultation, and introduces EDPs (Environmental Development Plans) 鈥� designed to fund conservation measures through developer contributions.
Most worrying of all are proposals to grant Natural England compulsory purchase powers, alongside sweeping reforms to 'hope value'.
Our view is simple. The clauses about Natural England and hope value shouldn鈥檛 be in the Bill. We鈥檝e written amendments to remove them, and they鈥檝e already been tabled in the House of Lords.
We鈥檝e also proposed other clarifying amendments to ensure the Bill doesn鈥檛 negatively impact farmers.
Not all our amendments aim to take things out of the Bill. This major review of the planning process also gives us a chance to tackle some long-standing member frustrations.
We鈥檝e tabled amendments to make it easier to get planning permission for livestock markets and small abattoirs, and we鈥檙e looking to do the same for on-farm reservoirs and small wind turbines.
NFU Vice-president Rachel Hallos hosted a briefing for Peers this month to agree a plan to table, support, and promote the NFU's amendments.
What next?
The next big Bill on the way is the Finance Bill, where the government says it will introduce legislation on the family farm tax.
And soon, we鈥檒l have another King鈥檚 Speech, setting out the Government鈥檚 planned Bills for the year ahead.
