Sustainable Livestock Bill — Closure Motion — 12 Nov 2010 at 13:15

The majority of MPs voted for the debate on the Sustainable Livestock Bill to be curtailed and for a vote on the Bill's second reading to be held straight away but the vote was deemed void.

The purpose of the Sustainable Livestock Bill^[1] is described in the explanatory notes to the Bill^[2] which state:

• The Bill creates duties on the Secretary of State to take steps to make the livestock industry more sustainable, and to make information on those steps and the progress being made openly available.
• The driver for the Bill is the fact that much of the environmental impact of consumption of livestock produce in the United Kingdom takes place in other countries. For example, the growing of feed crops such as soy is leading to the conversion of rainforest and other wild areas to plantations. Such deforestation causes biodiversity loss and results in large emissions of climate change gases.

The division was declared invalid as fewer than 100 Members voted in support of the motion; the vast majority of MPs did not vote. There was a minimum number of MPs required for approval of the motion because the vote was a "closure motion" - a demand that the debate stop and a vote be taken right away. The closure motion had been moved by Labour MP Robert Flello^[3]. (See Standing Orders Nos 36 & 37^[4])

The debate resumed shortly after the failed motion.

• [1] Parliament webpage on the Sustainable Livestock Bill
• [2] Sustainable Livestock Bill Explanatory Notes
• [3] Robert Flello MP, House of Commons, 12 November 2010
• [4] House of Commons Standing Orders, April 2010 - PDF

Debate in Parliament | Source |