COMMENT

Some of the slightly better moments of my short sojourn in the Scottish Parliament were spent in the committee rooms. In addition to a good view of Arthur’s Seat, these rooms provide the better architectural aspects of the Holyrood building, with aesthetically pleasing features and excellent acoustics – an important aspect for someone who has spent too long driving noisy tractors in his youth.

The committee work was also more akin to doing something, as opposed to the political posturing of the main speaking chamber. For reasons beyond my ken, I was not put on the rural affairs committee.

I hope this omission had more to do with me joining the school midterm, with all the best seats already taken, and not perversely because I might have some knowledge of rural issues.

I thought of Parliamentary committees this week as the Westminster environment, food and rural affairs select committee published its views on the welfare of laying hens directive promoted by the European Commission.

There is no need to repeat the EFRA committee’s deep concern over the lack of action in many EU member states which shall see battery cages banned on 1 January 2012.

The directive has been on the cards for 12 years to allow those in the egg laying business time to convert to new, more welfare-friendly systems. In the UK this conversion to new buildings has been achieved at considerable cost – some £400 million the MPs were told.

The problem is that, with little more than 100 days to go before the directive is implemented, it is extremely unlikely that mainland Europe will meet the deadline.

The MPs were informed that one-third of all eggs in the EU still come from battery caged birds.

Belgium has already asked for an extension so that producers there have more time to convert. And as further evidence of a lack of commitment to change, last month Robert Sturdy MEP found out that cages being taken out in his east of England constituency were being sold to Poland where they would be used.

So it is almost certain there will be eggs and egg products from battery caged hens on the market next year and possibly for years thereafter.

Incidentally egg product is what is left when the egg shell is removed and it is used by cake, biscuit and ready made meal manufacturers. You may stick a lion stamp or any other marker on an egg to confirm its origin but it is not so easy on a large drum of liquid egg.

Will these battery produced eggs and egg product come into the UK? The EFRA committee has asked the UK government to prevent this happening but the EU record on erecting trade barriers is poor and my bet is that a time extension will be given.

I would also bet that UK poultry producers will be incensed by this move and another odds on certainty is that major retailers will buy eggs from abroad because they are cheaper. A similar less traceable situation will prevail in the manufacturing sector.

At least, the EFRA committee has taken up the issue and given it a good airing.

This is the second time in the last couple of months that they have taken up a problem in the farming industry and highlighted iniquities, having previously looked at the milk supply situation.

So what have their committee counterparts in Scotland been up to? The full transcript of the first meeting of the rural affairs, climate change and environment committee provides little optimism for anyone looking for a strong grip on agricultural issues. In fact, it is quite dispiriting.

There was some superficial discussion on the CAP but no-one seemed to know how to best tackle what will be the big issue for Scottish farmers. No thoughts of inviting NFU Scotland, Brian Pack, SFTA, SLE or anyone with information or even a point of view. They did wonder about inviting the MEPs but there was not even unanimity on that.

Then one MSP remembered the Scottish Parliament had a man in Europe whom they could ask. We shall see what, if anything, develops.

They will be dealing with the question of how the electronic identification of sheep came to Scotland but MEP Alyn Smith gave them that on a plate.

But I saw no plans to discuss forestry, the price of milk or any other issue that is causing the farming industry concern at present.

It surely cannot be the case that the SNP government insisted on having both the convener and vice-convener of this committee to ensure no radical or controversial thoughts emerged.

As far as I am concerned, it is now four months since the Scottish Parliament elections and there is little or no evidence the rural affairs climate change and environment committee will even look near their counterparts in Westminster in pursuing the issues of the day.

And for those that wonder which Scottish Parliament committee I landed up serving, it was the finance committee. You will need to persuade me before I tell you that it twice took the “committee of the year” award in that time.