Lib Dem MP Alistair Carmichael confirmed as Efra chairman
Alistair Carmichael © UK Parliament MP and farmer Alistair Carmichael has promised to “hit the ground running” having been confirmed as the new chairman of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) Select Committee in parliament.
The 59-year-old Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland was the sole nominee for the position and was elected unopposed.
His appointment follows the general election in July, where leadership of the Efra Committee was allocated to the Liberal Democrats, from which a chair was chosen.
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Mr Carmichael has represented a rural constituency for 23 years and is the son of hill farmers in Islay.
He aims to leverage his background to advocate for rural communities and address key environmental and agricultural challenges facing the UK.
“I am honoured to be confirmed as the chair of the Efra Select Committee,” said Mr Carmichael, on accepting the role.
“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.”
Lengthy ‘to-do list’
Mr Carmichael added that it would “take some time” for the remaining Efra committee members to be appointed. He said they had a lengthy “to-do list” (see panel), but he intends to “hit the ground running”.
The remit of the Efra Committee is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of Defra and its associated public bodies.
Alistair Carmichael’s key focus areas as Efra chairman
- Representation of rural communities: Carmichael aims to ensure that rural, coastal, and island communities have a strong voice in parliament, holding the government accountable on issues affecting these areas.
- Food security: Carmichael intends to contribute to shaping a meaningful and realistic food security policy in the UK, balancing agricultural land use with other policy needs, such as energy generation.
- Environmental issues: He plans to address critical issues like nature depletion, animal welfare, and food standards, while holding corporate entities, such as water companies, accountable for their environmental impact.
- Trade and export: Ensuring that the interests of fishers, farmers, food producers, and processors are protected, particularly during the upcoming review of the UK/EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) in 2025.
- Collaborative approach: Carmichael emphasised the importance of working constructively across political parties and with equivalent committees in the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly, and Northern Ireland Assembly to achieve better outcomes on overlapping policy issues.