Carmichael to stand as Rural Affairs Select Committee Chair

Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has been nominated as a candidate to be Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select Committee in Parliament. Following the general election in July, leadership of the EFRA committee was given to the Liberal Democrats, with a chair to be drawn from Lib Dem MPs in the House of Commons. The remit of the EFRA Committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and its associated public bodies.

Mr Carmichael said:

“As the son of Islay hill farmers and having represented a rural constituency for 23 years, the issues on which the EFRA Select Committee works have always been close to my heart. For the Northern Isles and indeed for the entire country, the next few years are going to be critical in determining the future of our rural economy and rural communities, which is why I am standing for election as committee chair.

“Being chair of a select committee does not give you the decision-making powers of a minister. Done properly, however, it can give you some influence in scrutinising the work of government and raising the profile of issues that matter to communities such as our own. In that way you can be a vehicle for change.

“In a department where most of the incoming Labour ministerial team come from urban backgrounds, there is a danger that the needs and wishes of rural communities will not be properly understood. That is where a strong voice in Parliament with experience in these issues can make a noticeable difference.”

“If elected as chair of the EFRA Select Committee, my priorities will be to:

• Give a voice to rural, coastal and island communities in holding government to account;
• Contribute to setting a political agenda for meaningful and realistic food security in the UK – balancing the needs of agricultural land use against policies of other departments, most notably energy generation;
• Work constructively across party and across all parts of the UK to deal with issues of nature depletion, animal welfare and food standards;
• Hold corporate interests such as water companies to account for their commercial practices and impact on our environment;
• Ensure that the voices of our fishers, farmers, food producers and processors and all who rely on strong export trade get a better deal as the UK/EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) is reviewed in 2025;
• Work collaboratively with the equivalent committees in the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Northern Ireland Assembly where policy overlaps and joint working produces better outcomes.

“Parliament works best when all voices are heard and consensus is built. In my time as a Member of Parliament I have worked with people in all parties to get things done. In the next few years we shall make key decisions that will set the shape and course of life in the United Kingdom’s rural communities for a decade at least. I am excited by the prospect of bringing the influence of Parliament to inform and to shape these decisions.”