This select committee session was a very different affair from the session on 18th October relating to Grouse shooting. The chair - Mary Creagh ( remembered for opposing the sell-off of publicly owned woodlands ) - was excellent, unlike the chair of the earlier session.
Therese Coffey ( remembered for advocating the woodland sell-off ) was questioned in her capacity as a DEFRA minister on how the government would protect the environment post Brexit.
She volunteered a proactive approach towards recycling of waste and achieving clean air - but not much else. She spoke of leaving the environment in 'a better state' - but by whose judgement ?
Caroline Lucas and Zac Goldsmith were among the MPs who asked questions and specifically mentioned The Birds and Habitats Directive. Their questions were largely fobbed off by Dr Coffey who cited the impending Autumn Statement as a reason to obfuscate. Dr Coffey was not keen to talk about the Birds and Habitats Directive.
The appointment of Dr Coffey to her present role was welcomed by the Countryside Alliance. She supports shooting ( of wildlife ) as does her colleague Andrea Leadsom, as did her predecessors in DEFRA, Rory Stewart and Liz Truss.
It was a very unedifying performance by the minister.
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