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Fishing and Logging Policies

My Lords, I am sure that the noble Baroness, Lady Whitaker, had no idea how wide-ranging this subject would become. We have been to Brazil, and I ought to declare an interest as a forest owner as a residual beneficiary of a plantation in the West Indies on the island of St Lucia. I congratulate the noble Baroness most sincerely on securing the debate. I was deeply moved by the speech of the noble Lord, Lord Eden, and wish that he had been on David Attenborough’s programme tonight. Some very poignant and important points have been made. I hope this debate gains an enormous amount of publicity. My noble friend Lord Sandwich made a stirring speech, all of which was music to my ears. I must declare an interest as president of the British Association of Bio Fuels and Oils. I share his tremendous fears that, at the end of the day, to meet the renewable transport fuel obligation we shall probably have to import biofuels from countries such as Brazil, which he mentioned. My noble kinsman, the noble Lord, Lord Hunt, asked about the monitoring of fishing quotas. I too would like to ask the noble Baroness, Lady Royall, whether she can assure us that we are getting on top of that. Having been all round the world, I have another interest to declare. For my sins, I have served two stints on Sub-Committee D of the European Union Committee, which has dealt with reports on sustainable fishing. Having also served three stints on the Refreshment Committee of your Lordships’ House, I still have strong links with many friends I made while involved with the Refreshment Department. Currently, your Lordships’ House is tendering for the supply of fish to ensure that your Lordships have the best possible quality and at the most affordable price. I ask the noble Baroness to do all that she can to ensure that whoever is selected to supply fish to your Lordships’ House is able to guarantee that supplies, wherever possible, come from sustainable sources.