Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Regenerative Agriculture

Thursday 22 April 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Virginia Crosbie asked about the Church of England's efforts to support regenerative agriculture and environmental stewardship on its land.
  • The Church Commissioners own 95,000 acres of forestry across multiple countries, including 2,166 acres in Wales.
  • All the Church Commissioners' forests conform to the UK woodland assurance scheme to ensure sustainable management.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Virginia Crosbie
Agriculture & Rural Affairs Environment
Context

The Church of England owns significant amounts of rural land, including forests. There is a growing interest in sustainable agriculture and environmental stewardship.

Question

What steps the Church of England is taking to support regenerative agriculture, plant more trees and be effective stewards of hedgerows on its land?

Answer from Andrew Selous (South Swindon) (Con)

I recently met Environment Ministers to discuss this issue, and the commissioners are working closely with the Forestry Commission and other similar landowners to share best practice to improve the environment of rural let estates. We are encouraging regenerative farming practices, with new farm tenancies including obligations on soil health at the beginning and end of tenancies.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific details about planting trees or effective stewardship of hedgerows

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Q2 Virginia Crosbie
Religion & Faith Environment
Context

The Church of England owns over 100,000 acres of forest land across the UK, with significant holdings in Wales. There is a need to ensure sustainable forestry practices and wildlife protection.

Question

I thank my hon. Friend very much for his excellent answer. The Church owns more than 100,000 acres of forest land, including large areas in Wales. How are the Church Commissioners ensuring that woodland can be sustainably managed, and that species such as red squirrels and hedgehogs are being adequately protected?

Answer from Andrew Selous (South Swindon) (Con)

I thank my hon. Friend for that question. I can tell her that the Church Commissioners own 95,000 acres of forestry across the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States of America and Australia; 2,166 acres of our forestry is in Wales. All our forests conform to the UK woodland assurance scheme and the UK forestry standard and have Forestry Stewardship Council certification, which the World Wide Fund for Nature recognises as the hallmark of responsible forest management.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific measures for protecting red squirrels and hedgehogs

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