Commenting on his new role he said: "I'm a life-long environmentalist and have an enduring interest in agriculture and food issues and, as many people know, I'm a bee fan, campaigning to make sure bee-killing pesticides are not used on our fields.
“I served for many years on Labour’s Policy Commission developing policy on food and rural affairs.
“I will be leading for Labour on the Government’s delayed Agriculture Bill which is key to ensuring we have affordable food produced in a much more environmentally sustainable way, with proper security and rewards for all those involved in the production chain.”