An MP has been accused of 'nimbyism' by a senior Conservative minister after he told Parliament how fracking will affect a Cheshire farmer.
Liz Truss, Chief Secretary to the Treasury and former-Defra Secretary, used social media to describe a question put forward at Prime Minister's Questions by Labour MP Mike Amesbury as a "NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard)" question.
Mr Amesbury, MP for Weaver Vale, spoke in the House of Commons last week. He called on the government to halt fracking in England due to its perceived negative consequences.
The Labour MP used an example to back his call, which included how fracking will affect a farmer in his constituency.
Farmer Alison Davies was given a pre-named contract from multinational chemical and fracking company Ineos, agreeing to a geological survey on her land with the offer of payment should shale gas be found.
The company has already acquired licences to extract shale gas for a large part of Cheshire, in an area which covers Runcorn and other parts near.
'Door-stepped'
During Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Amesbury said: “Agents from the shale gas company Ineos recently posted a pre-named contract to my constituent Alison Davies, asking her to agree to a geological survey on her farm.
“Alison had already rejected this request when she was door-stepped a few days earlier.
“Does the Prime Minister know what it feels like to get an unsolicited letter from a group who will not take no for an answer, and will she join the Welsh and Scottish Governments by saying no to fracking in England?”
Prime Minister Theresa May answered: “Shale gas extraction could be a very important part of ensuring energy security in this country, and I am sure all the Honourable Gentleman’s constituents and the constituents of others represented in this House will want to ensure the Government are doing everything they can to make sure we maintain our energy security and we do not see the lights being turned off.”
After the session, Mrs Truss used social media to tweet: “Good to see PM supporting fracking against NIMBY question. #frackontrack.”
However, Mr Ambesbury replied: “If standing up for my constituents, local farmers and calling for a nationwide ban on fracking makes me a nimby, then I take this as a compliment.
“The Government have turned their back on our farmers and on rural England and on all the others who have serious, legitimate concerns about fracking which is now banned in the Republic Of Ireland, Germany, Scotland and France among others.”
Farmer criticism
Some farmers have been critical of fracking and the direct consequences of the activity on nearby farms.
A North Yorkshire farmer has spoken of her fear of pollution after a local authority gave the go-ahead for fracking operations in the UK for the first time in five years.
She told FarmingUK that her cattle were reliant on water from a borehole, which she feared could be contaminated by the fracking operations.
The farmer said that evidence was emerging from the United States, where fracking has been used for some years, that water sources had been polluted.
