Scottish MP Alistair Carmichael has been elected unopposed as chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select Committee in Parliament.
The remit of the committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and its associated public bodies.
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.
Committee
Carmichael is the son of Islay hill farmers and has represented the rural constituency of Orkney and Shetland for 23 years as an MEP.
He said that he was honoured to be confirmed as the chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee.
“I look forward to meeting with the EFRA committee team in the coming days and indeed with the different organisations and experts with a role to play in this sector as we begin our work.
“Whether on fishing, farming, water quality or pollution, there is no shortage of issues for the committee to tackle in the coming months.
“It will take some time for the remaining members of the committee to be appointed and our ‘to do’ list is going to be lengthy, but I intend for us to hit the ground running,” he said.
Carmichael previously stated that the issues on which the EFRA Select Committee works have always been close to his heart.
Although being chair of a select committee does not give you the decision-making powers of a minister, the MEP said it can give you some influence in scrutinising the work of government and raising the profile of relevant issues.
Prior to his election, Carmichael committed to giving “a voice to rural, coastal and island communities in holding government to account”.
He said that he would work on “balancing the needs of agricultural land use against policies of other departments, most notably energy generation”.
He also said he would ensure 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.
