I am delighted to confirm that the event was joined by almost 50 MPs and around 15 Peers. This is a huge success given that most parliamentary receptions only attract on average between one or two dozen MPs, and is testament to the hard efforts of those AD operators who have supported our lobbying drive by engaging their local representative in Parliament.
In particular, the reception was joined by various influential
MPs:
- Liz Truss MP, Defra
Secretary of State
- Neil Parish MP, Chair of Commons Select
Committee responsible for scrutinising Defra in Parliament
- Angus MacNeil, Chair of Commons Select
Committee responsible for scrutinising DECC in Parliament
- Nick Smith MP, Shadow Farming
Minister
- We also had ministerial representation
from the offices of Defence Minister Philip Dunne MP, Cabinet
Minister Oliver Letwin, and Life Sciences Minister George Freeman
MP.
The impact of the event has already been felt in the House of
Lords chamber, with the Government's Defra Spokesman acknowledging
how informative he found the event in response to Baroness Miller
of Chilthorne Domer's comment:
"The Circular Economy promises a future with great
environmental gains but not having waste will also enrich the
entire economy. I can think of no better example of this than
anaerobic digestion."
What next?
To prevent this significant political momentum from fizzling
out, we are reliant on you to get in touch and engage your local MP
- regardless as to whether you were able to catch them at the event
or not. Please invite your MP to visit your plant or
site- our experience has been that MPs are far more
enthusiastic about the industry when they have had a first-hand
opportunity to see how it affects their constituency.
We will help with any information that you may need, including
detail on other constituency businesses operating within the AD
sector, and would be grateful if you would also consider giving MPs
a copy of our industry briefing.
RHI consultation
DECC released its consultation on the future of the RHI last
week. The consultation documents can be read on the government website and ADBA members can read
our summary of the consultation here.
ADBA members will also be able to join a 1 hour webinar regarding crop feedstock
restrictions. It will include a detailed discussion of the proposed
changes and provides opportunity to share evidence bases of carbon
cost effectiveness and design our industry response.
Find out more about ADBA's work and
services
ADBA offers a whole programme of events and services aimed at
supporting the AD and biogas industry, and at supporting members to
develop, operate and improve AD projects. We also rely on
input from our members on any issues you come across and can offer
advice and solutions. ADBA also supports the Crop Operator Group
which offers a forum to get together with other operators to
discuss issues such as regulation and policy, crop best practice,
crop performance and increasing operational performance.
For more information on membership or the Crop Operator Group
please contact our Head of Membership, Alex Monks at: Alex.Monks@adbioresources.org / 0203
1765418.
UK AD & Biogas 2016
As is clear from the reception event, anaerobic digestion is at
the centre of sustainable agriculture, integrating with livestock
and arable farming to reduce emissions, recycle nutrients, generate
baseload renewable energy and improve the bottom line.
Our seventh trade show dedicated to AD and biogas will take
place on 6-7 July at the NEC in Birmingham, and coincide with the
Livestock Event. UK AD & Biogas will
continue last week's discussions on how we can create a policy and
financial framework which supports the wider benefits of on-farm
AD. In addition, the trade show will assess what further steps are
needed following the government Feed-in Tariff and RHI decision to
ensure small scale on-farm AD can be commercially viable.
As well as addressing issues critical to the UK, UK AD &
Biogas will also examine business opportunities in established and
emerging international AD markets, with a high-level summit
featuring global industry leaders and influencers, detailed streams
on operational performance, R&D and bioresources as well as
technical sessions and workshops.
