“We don’t have time for the laggards in the market to comply” - Barry challenges Treasury on Net Zero targets

In the Enviornment Audit Committee (EAC) on 18 May 2023, Barry challenged Baroness Penn, the Treasury Lords Minister, HM Treasury on holding buisnesses accountable to reach their net zero targets.

Barry questioned Penn on what the “penalty” would be if companies don’t comply with net zero targets - he was told the “market” would fix it .

“We don’t have time for the lagarts in the market to comply” argued Barry as he told Penn and her colleagues that they are setting a “pretty low bar” for buisnesses.

Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ)

In the Environmental Audit Committee evidence session on 8 March 2023, Barry challenged members of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) on what their companies have done since becoming a member of GFANZ and how accountability can be improved for members. The questions were put to Tim Lord, UK Head of Climate Change at HSBC UK; Michael Marks, Head of Investment Stewardship and Responsible Investment Integration at Legal and General Investment Management; Roslyn Stein, group Head of Climate and Biodiversity at AXA; and Steve Waygood, Chief Responsible Investment Officer at Aviva Investors.

Environmental change and food security

During the Environmental Audit Committee’s first evidence session on ‘Environmental change and food security,’ Barry asked the Chair of Adaptation Committee at Climate Change Committee, Baroness Brown; and Richard Millar, Head of Adaptation at the Climate Change Committee, about the impact of land use for bioenergy and sustainable aviation fuel on food supply and the potential impact of a climate trigger events on UK agricultural models.

DEFRA’s England Species Reintroduction Task Force and ELMS

During EFRA’s first evidence session for its inquiry into species re-introduction, Barry questioned Professor Richard Brazier; Dr Katie Brinkmann; Dr Sarah Dalrymple; and Dr Tony Sainsbury about the goals and composition of DEFRA’s England Species Reintroduction Task Force and how incentives and penalties can be balanced for preserving public goods under the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS).

Supermarket profits and free school meals

To conclude EFRA’s inquiry into food security, Barry quizzed Rt Hon Mark Spencer MP, Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries; and David Kennedy, Director General for Food, Biosecurity and Trade at DEFRA on what the Department is doing to address exorbitant supermarket profits and to provide free school meals for children living in poverty.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest

In the Environmental Audit Committee hearing on 1 February, Barry challenged Marian Spain, Chief Executive of Natural England over Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and how Natural England can be held to account to ensure they are fulfilling their role appropriately.

Concerns regarding overfishing from UK fishers

In the EFRA Committee’s hearing on 17 January 2023, Barry questioned Rt. Hon. Mark Spencer MP, Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries; Mike Dowell, Deputy Director for EU Fisheries Negotiations and Policy at DEFRA and Colin Faulkner, Deputy Director for External Fisheries negotiations at DEFRA on the latest round of annual negotiations with the EU, Norway and the Faroe Islands regarding the quotas of fish stock that UK fishers are legally allowed to catch.

How the labelling of seafood products can protect marine mammals

In the EFRA Committee’s hearing on January 10th, 2023, Barry questioned Minister of State at DEFRA Lord Benyon; Minister for Overseas Territories, Commonwealth, Energy, Climate and Environment at Foreign Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park; Deputy Director of International Marine Environment at DEFRA James Smith and Acting Deputy Director of Ocean Policy at FCDO Lowri Griffiths about strengthening labelling and certifications requirements for products containing seafood, notably in the context of international trade.

The role of the UK Government in facilitating the financial transition to net zero

As part of the EAC’s examination of the role of financial institutions in the UK’s net zero transition, Barry questioned Sam Alvis, Head of economy at Green Alliance; Ryan Jude, Programme Director for Green Taxonomy at Green Finance Institute; Mark Campanale, Founder and Director at Carbon Tracker Initiative; and Dr Anastasiya Ostrovnaya, Senior Research/Teaching Fellow at the Centre for Climate Finance and Investment at Imperial College Business School about the role the Government can play in facilitating investment for renewable energy.

Holding DEFRA to account for environmental targets

In the EFRA Committee’s hearing on 6 December, 2022, Barry questioned Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Thérèse Coffey and Permanent Secretary at DEFRA Tamara Finkelstein on the public access elements of ELMS, the UK’s goals for COP-15, the deliverability of the UK’s environmental targets and resource allocation within DEFRA following the Government’s Autumn Statement.

Post-Brexit chemicals regulation, water quality and recycling

Barry questioned environment minister Rebecca Pow on progress in implementing the UK REACH regulatory framework for the registration, evaluation and authorisation of chemicals in Great Britain following Brexit. The EAC also discussed the Government’s policy around improving water quality.

Avian flu: inspection and enforcement

In part two of the Avian Flu evidence session, Barry questioned David Holdsworth, Chief Executive, Animal Plant Health Agency and Christine Middlemiss, the Chief Veterinary Officer on the inspection and enforcement regime of poultry producers, or the lack of it.

The tragedy of Avian Flu

As part of the EFRA committee’s evidence session on Avian Influenza, Barry questioned Richard Griffiths, Chief Executive of the British Poultry Council, Paul Kelly of Kelly Turkeys and James Pearce-Higgins, Director of Science, British Trust for Ornithology about the impact on the disease, which has resulted in the culling or death so far this year of over one million ‘Christmas birds’ alone, on poultry farmers and also the impact on wildfowl and seabird numbers.

Food security and supermarket prices

Barry questioned Professor Michael Fakhri, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, about the evidence of ‘price gouging’ by the big name supermarkets – the three largest have together made a 97 per cent increase in profit over their pre-Covid levels – and how governments should intervene.

He also quizzed Lindsay Boswell, Chief Executive Officer, FareShare; Maria Marshall, Project Manager, Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN); Anna Taylor, Executive Director, The Food Foundation about the government’s food strategy and whether it had adequately addressed the reasons that increasing numbers of people are being driven to use food banks.

Environmental Land Management Scheme progress update

As part of the EFRA committee check-ups on the Government’s progress in delivering the Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS), Barry asked a series of questions of Mark Spencer, the food minister, and Janet Hughes, the Future Farming Programme Director at DEFRA, starting with whether the department has assessed how large the ELMS budget needs to be, beyond 2024, to ensure that farming contributes to net zero and Environment Act targets.

Watch his questions below 🔽

Challenging the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquiculture Science on the Contamination of Tees Bay.

In an Oral Evidence session on 25 October, Barry questioned Rachel Hartnell, Science Director of the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquiculture Science about the contamination caused by the dredging of the River Tees.

A national food strategy?

Barry questions Henry Dimbleby, the government’s lead on the National Food Strategy, about the government’s response to his recommendations.

Minister announces windfall tax on renewables

Watch Barry cross-questioning the new climate minister Graham Stuart on the government’s approach to accelerating the transition from fossil fuels and securing energy supplies.

It was a somewhat spikey exchange, which included an apparant announcement of a windfall tax on renewables, not the fossil fuel producers 🔽

Caring for our oceans

In the 2nd part of the EFRA Committee hearing on marine mammals, Barry questions Chris Butler Stroud, Chief Executive at Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Dr Mark Simmonds OBE, Director of Science at Ocean Care and Lucy Babey, Deputy Director and Head of Science & Conservation at ORCA, cetacean conservation charity.

Marine mammal monitoring

Barry questioned Professor David Lusseau, Professor of Marine Sustainability, National Institute of Aquatic Resources at Technical University of Denmark; Rob Deaville, Project Manager at UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP); and Dr Carol Sparling, Director at Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) about the issues affecting marine mammals, in the UK and around the world.