Campaign: Agriculture Bill
We campaigned for better data measures in the Agriculture Bill. As drafted, the Bill could result in very little data being collected and published on government payments to farmers. The current data measures are so weak that even MPs and Ministers may not be able to obtain critical data on billions of pounds of public money.
To understand some of the harms that may follow from this omission, and the amendment we propose to remedy it, read our briefing below.
Publications
Written evidence: Agriculture Bill
September 2020
We provided evidence to DEFRA’s consultation on the Agriculture Bill, reforming payment schemes for farmers in England & Wales.
Our response identified shortcomings in the Bill’s proposed use of data - the proposed published data would not tell us reliably who was receiving funding, or for what purpose.
Briefing: Agriculture Bill
July 2020
This briefing explains why the Government’s proposed Agriculture Bill would result in minimal data being collected on farm payments.
Developing a more robust agriculture data regime would allow authorities to monitor the effectiveness of funding systems and generate new commercial opportunities.