APPG Meeting Minutes 17.06.25

Written By Andy Cutbill

Meeting Minutes
Date: Tuesday 17 June 2025
Time: 5.00pm
Location: Committee Room 13, House of Commons
Chair: Bayo Alaba MP
Parliamentarians present: Bayo Alaba MP, Richard Quigley MP, Lord Mancroft, Lord Robathan, Baroness Owen.

Overview

The second meeting of the APPG for Hemp Carbon Capture and Rural Development focused on recent regulatory and political developments in the US and their implications for the UK hemp sector. Speakers included Nick Morland, David Culver, and AJ Fabrizio, who highlighted US policy momentum around rescheduling, banking reform, and industrial hemp investment. UK attendees raised barriers around processing infrastructure, licensing, and carbon credit recognition. There was strong support for pragmatic, non-psychoactive hemp strategies, a shared carbon credit framework, and deeper transatlantic collaboration. The group agreed to prioritise site visits, data sharing, and a clear investment case rooted in UK pilot regions.

List of Agreed Actions

  1. Share NIAB data with policymakers:
    Lydia Smith to send data; Bayo Alaba’s office to ensure it informs relevant ministerial briefings.

  2. Advance ministerial engagement through site visits:
    APPG Secretariat to support and schedule further site visits to evidence progress (e.g. Rochford Park).

  3. Use US progress to influence UK policy:
    APPG Secretariat to coordinate messaging and case studies to align UK proposals with US developments.

  4. Pursue carbon credit definition and adoption:
    APPG to support cross-sector development of a UK-compatible carbon credit framework, potentially tied to ETS or planning policy.

  5. Support pilot region modelling using the 5% crop rotation premise:
    Secretariat to help model and document pilot opportunities with local authorities and rural MPs (e.g. Southend, Wales).

1. Opening Remarks

  • Bayo Alaba MP welcomed attendees and opened the meeting.

  • He provided an update on political activity, including Deputy PM Angela Rayner’s visit to a Greencore Homes site, which he highlighted as a positive signal of government engagement.

  • He discussed the proposed Rochford Park development in his constituency, which includes climate-positive housing, a SEND school, 500 jobs, and 2,000 homes.

  • Noted the success of IndiNature's new production line and congratulated Nick Joyce (GRWN Group) on the birth of his child.

2. Speaker Presentations

Nick Morland (Tenacious Carbon)

  • Provided opening context on the APPG’s direction and aims.

  • Emphasised the UK’s opportunity to act as a dress rehearsal for an international hemp-based bioeconomy.

  • Outlined the APPG’s policy focus on four core areas:

    • Biochar for verified carbon credits;

    • Fibre for climate-positive construction and industrial use;

    • Biofuels, especially for aviation and marine sectors; and

    • Research and development, to unlock innovation and high-skilled jobs.

  • Advocated a US model that starts with 5% of agricultural land under hemp in rotation, unlocking $56bn/year in activity and 1 US million jobs, and comparable UK potential.

  • Emphasised that carbon credits must be verifiable, valued, and bankable to attract private sector investment.

  • Warned that existing EU-style models fail to offer commercial viability and called for UK definitions to be tied to real-world production and carbon sequestration.

David Culver (Crestwood Strategies, USA)

  • Gave a policy overview from the US, noting that under the Trump administration:

    • Cannabis rescheduling from Schedule 1 to 3 is actively being pursued, unlocking banking and insurance access.

    • The Safe Banking Act is gaining support, making financial services more accessible to the cannabis sector.

    • Industrial hemp is being repositioned as a strategic crop central to climate and economic policy.

    • Federal support is expanding for R&D, crop insurance, and processing infrastructure.

  • Reinforced that hemp has industrial and rural development potential and that coherent regulatory frameworks are essential.

  • Noted growing US interest in transatlantic collaboration.

AJ Fabrizio (Alchemical Solutions, USA)

  • Called for pragmatic and science-based policy reform in both the US and UK.

  • Drew a historical analogy to the early petrochemical industry, suggesting hemp’s by-products are yet to be fully explored.

  • Encouraged greater investment in R&D to unlock hemp's wider industrial applications.

  • Stressed the importance of viewing the whole plant as a resource, not limiting focus to cannabinoids.

  • Highlighted the opportunity for new generations of scientists and engineers to drive innovation in hemp.

3. Discussion and Q&A Session

Adrian Hayler (Elsoms Seeds)

  • Asked how the US federal policy approach would influence individual states.

    • AJ Fabrizio: Said unlocking banking, insurance, and federal-level reform is the key first step. Once federal constraints are removed, states are more likely to follow.

    • David Culver: Emphasised that cannabis rescheduling will normalise the issue politically, enabling better industrial policy discussions and public safety regulation.

Dr Lydia Smith (NIAB)

  • Raised the lack of infrastructure between the farm gate and industrial processors as a critical barrier to scaling UK hemp.

  • Farmers cannot process hemp regionally, making the crop uneconomic despite environmental benefits.

  • Highlighted licensing anomalies preventing farmers from sending crop samples for testing or nutritional analysis.

    • Nick Morland: Suggested unlocking investment through bankable carbon credits and insurance. Once commercial buyers can forward-order verified credits or biomass, infrastructure becomes investable.

    • Stressed the importance of reliable definitions and market mechanisms, backed by insurance and financial guarantees.

Alex McLeod (IndiNature)

  • Asked how carbon credits for hemp insulation could be verified and monetised.

    • Nick Morland: Said a common definition and verification system is needed to make such products cost-competitive. UK and US should align efforts and present early proposals to regulators.

    • AJ Fabrizio: Called for stratified carbon credits to reflect permanence of sequestration. Welcomed UK leadership and offered US partnership.

Marika Graham-Woods (Cannabis Trades Association)

  • Asked about UK cannabis rescheduling and whether the APPG intended to take this on.

    • Nick Morland: Replied that the APPG’s remit focuses on industrial, non-psychoactive applications. The decision to leave cannabinoids out of scope was deliberate to avoid political delays.

Jamie Bartley (Unyte Group)

  • Argued for integration of hemp-related carbon credits into the UK ETS (emissions trading scheme).

  • Highlighted risks of over-regulating THC thresholds, which could impact use of hemp for animal feed and food.

    • AJ Fabrizio: Said the US is working to reintegrate hemp into animal feed, noting its historical use and nutritional benefits. Stressed the need for scientific validation.

    • Nick Morland: Called for practical regulation and preferential treatment of low-carbon domestic products in planning and procurement.

Ian Gregory (ABZED)

  • Asked how the sector can be made “Reform-proof” should a future UK government be less supportive.

    • Bayo Alaba MP: Said the APPG’s role is to build evidence and political mass before the next election.

    • Richard Quigley MP: Emphasised that job creation and economic impact will protect the sector from future political risk.

    • Nick Morland: Reiterated that hemp doesn’t need subsidy, just regulatory access and market signals.

4. Close of Meeting

  • Bayo Alaba MP thanked speakers and attendees.

  • Noted the importance of continuing ministerial engagement and sharing practical evidence with departments.

  • Confirmed the next meeting will take place on Tuesday 9th September 2025.

Andy Cutbill
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APPG Meeting Minutes 01.04.25