Listening to the Countryside — 3 Mar 1998

I beg to move,

That this House recognises the concern of those marching in London on 1st March that the voice of the countryside should be listened to by all politicians but regrets the attempts by non-attending Agriculture Ministers to undermine the credentials of the march with claims of it being hijacked by political and overseas interests; calls upon Her Majesty's Government, in acknowledging that a viable agricultural industry lies at the heart of a successful rural economy, to recognise properly the fears and concerns of farmers over dramatically falling farm incomes, rising levels of food imports, the continued imposition of the beef ban, the introduction of the Minimum Wage, the Working Time Directive and Agenda 2000, by now making a clear statement of how it proposes to address these concerns; deplores the threat to life in rural Britain resulting from a revenue support grant settlement which has removed resources from rural local authorities; and calls upon the Government not only to strengthen the protection for the countryside while encouraging the renewal of towns and cities, but also to respect the patterns and fabric of rural life by removing the threat to land owners of a statutory right of access.

I beg to move, To leave out from "House" to the end of the Question, and to add instead thereof:

"condemns the previous administration for its persistent neglect of the countryside over the past eighteen years which resulted in rural unemployment and deprivation and the collapse of the rural transport system; and congratulates the Government on its emphatic commitment to comprehensive countryside policies, to reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, to successful, sustainable United Kingdom agriculture, and on its vision for a countryside that is strong, fair and modern, with a programme for social justice, inclusiveness, welfare reform, improving services, the national minimum wage, education and skills which will ensure prosperity for all in rural areas as well as in the towns.".

Question, That the Question be now put, put and agreed to .

Question put accordingly, That the original words stand part of the Question:--

The House divided: Ayes 131, Noes 321.

Historical Hansard | Online Hansard |