Guest Column: New Bill will support farming and the countryside

It’s something called a Ten-Minute Rule Bill, which is one of the early stages of introducing new laws in Parliament, and I was really pleased to be able to get involved in working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) after so much positive new environmental work has come out of that department in recent months.

DEFRA have come forward with great new proposals to cut down on non-recyclable single use plastics that clog up our oceans and harm wildlife, have raised the bar on animal welfare standards, banned the ivory trade in the UK and much more to make Britain global leaders when it comes to green policy and animal welfare.

This week, my Ten-Minute Rule Bill looks to build on that.

I’m introducing proposals that look to protect our pollinators and insects that are so important for our farming and food production, and whose work grows and sustains our natural environ-ment.

The numbers and areas covered by these pollinators are on the decline and that could have major implications for farming and business, and for our natural green spaces as we know them.

My Bill seeks to provide more natural habitats and to have a plan for how we can develop these spaces, linking them together in corridors known as ‘B-Lines’.

This allows the insects to move around, so they can prosper in new places and so that they don’t just die off when we develop on a piece of land.

It’s like a network of roads for wildlife.

I’m pleased to have support and an open door from DEFRA on these ideas, and to be backed by charities like BugLife.

On my Facebook page I’m sharing a series of videos about how these Ten-Minute Rule Bills work to try and make the process more transparent and accessible for constituent.

I hope, if you’re interested in our environment, you’ll have a look.