Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee

Five years pass, eight years, ten years, and the same thing happens.

If you look at the facilities that the APHA have out in Weybridge, and one of the first things I did when I was elected to the chair of the EFRA Select Committee was we took the whole committee out to Weybridge so that they could see it.

world-class scientists working in, frankly, third-world facilities.

You know, port-to-cabins, buildings that were sort of out of date in the 80s and the 90s.

The farming minister has acknowledged that he and his department were aware that there would be far more demand for the latest round of farm environmental payments than the budget could meet, but he decided to let the first-come, first-served application process go ahead.

Speaking to MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, Stephen Morgan reiterated that lessons would be learnt from what's been described as a shambolic application process last month.

The committee also tackled fishing negotiations, the price of fuel and energy and the government's various strategies on land use, food and farming.

So, let's give you some of the highlights of a fairly lively session.

And also how we can share practice about the different systems they've used in forestry and land management to build that resilience as well.

We talked to Alastair Carmichael, who is the chair of the EFRA Select Committee earlier in the week, about their report that came out.

And it was pretty critical, I think, of the government.

And one of the things that he said is that there is no national strategy on wildfires.