MPs from across political divide debate what policies are right for countryside at The CLA Game Fair and find an ally in Defra Minister Lord Rooker

Senior MPs of all the major political parties today (Saturday, 26 July) debated which policies are right for the countryside.

The Have I Got Policies For You? CLA London Branch Debate – chaired by author and former national newspaper editor Sir Max Hastings - saw lively exchanges – and also a lot of respect - between members of the panel, Minister for Sustainable Food and Farming and Animal Health Lord Rooker, Shadow Minister for Agriculture Jim Paice MP, Liberal Democrat Housing Spokesman Lembit Opik, and CLA Vice-President Harry Cotterell.

One of the hottest topics was the discussion of the controversial Government decision not to allow a badger cull to combat Bovine TB.

Diplomatically, Lord Rooker said: "The Secretary of State [Hilary Benn] has made a decision and it is my task to support that opinion."

The Defra Minister added: "No one has ever come into my office and said, 'It's a shame we have to kill all those cattle'. We don't have a vaccine and it is currently illegal to vaccinate cattle. The latest Bovine TB figures are up by 15 percent. But the Secretary of State has made a decision and it is my task to repeat it."

Unusually, all the representatives of the other political parties stressed how much they respected Lord Rooker's integrity, and he received an exceptionally warm welcome from the audience in The CLA Game Fair Theatre.

Conservative MP Jim Paice, Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said: "Jeff [Rooker] is in an invidious position [on this issue]."

He said a Conservative Government would order a badger cull, regardless of how unpopular the decision proved with sections of the public.

Mr Paice said: "If Hilary Benn had made the other decision, I would have been delighted because it would have saved us from doing it in two years' time."

 Lembit Opik said the Liberal Democrasts would also support a badger cull.

He said: "It is obvious that badgers are the problem."

CLA Vice-President Harry Cotterell said that the CLA strongly supported a badger cull and not just because of Bovine TB.

Mr Cotterell joked: "Currently the only weapon against badgers is the car and it is damn expensive!"

On fly-tipping, Lord Rooker expressed his support for The CLA's position on fly-tipping on which it is campaigning.

He said: "It is a serious issue and we [the Government] are probably not as hard on it as we could be."

On hunting, Mr Paice said a Conservative Government would call a free vote in the House of Commons on the issue and, if a majority voted to axe the Hunting Bill, it would then be repealed.

The CLA Vice-President Harry Cotterell said: "We are happy with repealing it. The worst thing that could happen is that it would waste a huge amount of parliamentary time."

The debate's chairman, Sir Max Hastings, jokingly asked if it was worth repealing the Act when "hunting was getting along so splendidly" despite the ban.

Lord Rooker stressed he could not condone the breaking of the law. But he added: "I did not agree with it [the hunting ban] and did not vote for it."

Sir Max Hastings rounded off the entertaining debate, at which Lord Rooker was applauded for his support of the countryside, by saying to the Minister: "This morning has been a revelation. We really feel Jeff [Rooker] is one of us."

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Oliver Wilson, Communications Director, 0702 928828, ollie.wilson@cla.org.uk,

For information on The CLA Game Fair, contact Fiona Eastman, Director of Marketing and Development, fiona.eastman@cla.org.uk, mobile 07702 967576 or Marishelle Gibson, Press Officer, marishelle.gibson@cla.org.uk, mobile 07979 908190

NOTES TO EDITORS:

1. The Country Land and Business Association has a 36,000-strong membership. 

2. For more information about the CLA, visit: www.cla.org.uk