In his Hereford Times column on June 3, Bill Wiggin mentioned that he had spoken in the parliamentary debate on the Environment Bill. He did not explain what he raised.
According to Hansard’s verbatim report for May 26, Mr Wiggin proposed to replace the word “must” in one clause of the Bill with “may”.
In February he tabled two identical wrecking amendments to weaken planning rules on phosphate levels in rivers and the protection of important habitats.
This time the change would have removed the obligation on Natural England to make assessments of the potential damage to protected sites before granting licences for the release of game species.
The sites in question were previously listed under European Union law and Defra wants to give them equally robust protection under the replacement British law.
Mr Wiggin praised the environmental and employment benefits of shooting and claimed during the debate that his amendment was vital to protect DEFRA from a non-governmental organisation he alleged was against all country sports.
I wonder why Hansard shows that recently and in February no other MP, even those with grouse-moors in their constituencies, spoke in favour of his ideas.
The Tory Minister for Defra also rejected them.
Jill Hanna Leominster
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