Speeches by Newbury.

“At Gatcombe, they have pioneered a few different tests that were more accurate, particularly in picking up the animals that were shedding TB, which we know is the real worrying sign, because they are actively spreading. As far as the APHA is concerned, an animal is clear if the skin test has come up negative, but they …”

“Yes, absolutely. It is a complicated picture, isn’t it? There are loads of things that you have to consider, but our concern is to make sure that we are moving in the right direction on all fronts. One thing that we discussed at Gatcombe is that farmers can only carry out certain tests for TB if they are classified as …”

“Do you have an indication of what the timescales might be around that? When might the trials commence? When might you have the outcomes?”

“Let me move on to bovine tuberculosis. Last month, the Committee had the chance to visit Gatcombe farm in Devon, which is famed for its trials of new strategies for on-farm management of TB. We were told that the only tests that farmers are legally able to conduct for BTB result in many false negatives. In other words,…”

“Something that I hear from concerned parents of trans children and young people, who are often such powerful advocates for them, is that they feel powerless to help their children, so does my hon. Friend agree that support and guidance for families and friends must absolutely be embedded in gender-affirming care, as we…”

“Minister, I am sure it will come as no surprise that I will start with avian influenza. As we know, human flu is making life difficult at the moment, but it is fair to say that avian influenza is causing absolute misery for poultry farmers up and down the country. We have heard of whole turkey farms being knocked out b…”

“I too thank the Secretary of State for the lengths he is going to for resident doctors. As somebody who worked in our NHS before coming to this place, I know what a pressured time winter is for staff and patients alike. With strikes at this time of year, NHS staff will this week be taking calls from harried managers an…”

“Of course the other side of it is that there is a potential for British farmers to be undercut by imports that are produced to lower standards. What can you say on that?”

“Again on the negotiations, I appreciate that you cannot give us any specifics but could you reassure us that the UK will be able to at least maintain—if not raise—animal welfare standards through the negotiations? We know this is something that Switzerland was able to do because it mattered there and we know it matters…”

“That is really reassuring. Finally, given that we know the EU is looking at its own legislation around on-farm welfare—it has a public consultation that is open until Friday—how are we engaging with that review? Is this something that the British Government are making representations on?”

“That is reassuring to hear because another concern that we have is that there is a lot of anxiety in the industry about moving quite quickly, so if it is being brought on the journey, that is really encouraging.”

“Is it your intention as a Minister to perhaps be in Brussels more often and engage with early legislation once the negotiations are concluded and we are clear on what that relationship will look like?”

“We really look forward to seeing the strategy and are glad that it will be published very soon.”

“The next question will be how quickly the legislation could come forward because of course the trail hunting ban was in the King’s Speech and we know that we may not have long left on this session. I will move on if I may to labelling, which is another area that I am quite keen on. It has been around 18 months since th…”

“Absolutely. There is a potential for us to crowd a packet with too much information and so it is fair that it needs to be looked at in the round.”

“It is good to see you again, Baroness Hayman. Clearly improving animal welfare was a key manifesto commitment for the Government. Advancing animal welfare is something that Labour Governments do but it is fair to say that since last July, progress seems to have been quite slow. We understand that the bans on trail hunt…”

“That is great to hear. You previously indicated that you were exploring non-legislative routes to improve animal welfare outcomes because, as you have rightly pointed out again, it is a very packed legislative programme. What are those alternatives that you are considering and could you give us a timeline on any of tho…”

“You said watching; as a Committee, we recently went out to Brussels and were actually quite struck by how keen many of our European counterparts were to engage with us as a delegation for the Parliament, not even Ministers. We felt quite strongly that this is a previously quite well-trodden path to Brussels that we use…”

“I came to this House determined to speak up for the people I represent, particularly those who feel under pressure, children whose life chances are held back, and 1,500 former mineworkers. In my maiden speech, I spoke about our proud mining heritage. When I made that speech, this Labour Government had just delivered ju…”

“The end of November is nigh, so dodgy moustaches across the land will finally disappear—but not before thousands of us MoBros have raised millions for Movember, which does brilliant and much-needed work for men’s health. Donations are still gratefully received, of course. Will the Leader of the House join me in congrat…”