Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee
Name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee
Legislature	House of Commons
Chamber	Commons
Established	1997
Jurisdiction	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Chair	See section

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee is a departmental select committee of the House of Commons tasked with scrutinising the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and its associated public bodies. The committee examines matters including farming, fisheries, flood management, animal welfare and food standards, holding ministers and officials to account through inquiries, reports and evidence sessions with witnesses from institutions such as the Royal Society, National Farmers' Union, and Environment Agency.

History

The committee was created following the reform of select committees in the late 1990s under the leadership of Tony Blair and the New Labour administration, operating alongside long-established bodies like the Public Accounts Committee and the Home Affairs Select Committee. Its work has interacted with major events such as the Foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, the BSE crisis, and debates around the Common Agricultural Policy after the Treaty of Rome. The committee has responded to cross-cutting issues involving the United Nations Environment Programme, the European Union’s institutions including the European Commission and the European Court of Justice, and post-Brexit arrangements negotiated during talks with figures linked to the Department for International Trade.

remit and functions

The committee’s remit mirrors the responsibilities of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and reaches into bodies such as the Animal and Plant Health Agency, Natural England, the Rural Payments Agency, and the Food Standards Agency. It exercises oversight through oral evidence sessions, written correspondence, and formal reports that may reference statutes like the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Environment Act 2021. Powers derive from the practices of the House of Commons and the committee interacts with Cabinet ministers from administrations of Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and other Prime Ministers. Inquiries frequently call witnesses from organisations including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, National Trust, British Veterinary Association, and trade bodies such as the National Farmers' Union.

Membership

Membership is drawn from backbench and frontbench Members of Parliament representing parties including the Conservative Party, the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats, the Scottish National Party, and the Democratic Unionist Party. Chairs have been elected by the whole House of Commons electorate and the committee includes MPs with constituency interests in rural counties such as Cornwall, Cumbria, Norfolk, and Yorkshire. Members often have expertise or parliamentary interest registers noting associations with organisations like the Royal Society, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, or non-departmental public bodies including Natural Resources Wales and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

Work and inquiries

The committee conducts inquiries into topics such as flood resilience following Storm Desmond, biosecurity in the wake of the 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak, the veterinary medicines supply chain, and sustainable farming models linked to debates on the Common Agricultural Policy and the Environment Act 2021. It summons witnesses from academia and institutions such as University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, University of Oxford, the Royal Horticultural Society, British Retail Consortium, and international agencies like the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization. The committee’s work intersects with legislation and policy instruments including the Agriculture Act 2020, international trade arrangements negotiated by the World Trade Organization, and environmental targets aligned with the Paris Agreement.

Reports and impact

Reports produced by the committee have addressed policy failures and reforms, influencing decisions by ministers from cabinets under Gordon Brown, David Cameron, and later administrations. Its publications have shaped responses to crises such as ash dieback and the avian influenza outbreaks, and prompted action from bodies including the Environment Agency, Natural England, and the Food Standards Agency. Recommendations have been cited in debates at Westminster Hall and plenary sessions in the House of Commons, and have informed policy coordination with devolved institutions like the Senedd Cymru and the Scottish Parliament.

Chairpersons and leadership

Chairs have included prominent MPs who later held ministerial or shadow roles within parties such as the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. Past chairs have engaged with ministers from the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Transport, and the Treasury on cross-cutting issues. The committee’s deputy chairs and clerks liaise with administrative offices such as the Parliamentary Digital Service and the House of Commons Commission to publish evidence, schedule sessions, and manage relations with external bodies including the Rural Services Network and the National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs.

Category:Select Committees of the British House of Commons