Given the importance of farming to the Constituency, I was determined to join the Agriculture Bill committee, which reviews the Bill line-by-line including taking evidence from experts in the farming industry. There is overwhelming support for replacing the Common Agriculture Policy with a system which pays farmers for the public goods they deliver, but no consensus on what those public goods are, or whether farming itself – the production of food – is one of them. I had an exchange with the Guardian’s George Monbiot – he disagreed with my suggestion that grass-fed cattle herds enable carbon sequestration and believes that the countryside is harmed by ‘agricultural sprawl’ and that we should grow our food in vertical factories. I don’t!

Last week was recess, which meant I could spend more time locally. I spent an instructive afternoon at HMP Erlestoke, near Devizes. The brilliant Friends of Erlestoke Prison are fundraising for an all-weather football pitch for prisoners – sport has been proven to reduce violence in prison and reoffending on release.

I also visited the new technical accommodation for the Royal Signals – being built by Aspire, the contractors responsible for the rebasing of our troops coming back from Germany.

I was incredibly moved by my visit to Julia’s House – the hospice in Devizes for sick children, including those who do not expect to live long. Julia’s House works with over 50 families across Wiltshire providing the warmest, friendliest care both for children and for their parents and siblings. Please see juliashouse.org if you’d like to help.

I’ll be at Larkhill on Friday to meet the team planning the new Royal Artillery Museum on Salisbury Plain, and will also meet residents who are opposed to the current plans for the scheme – I am looking forward to hearing from all interested parties.

In the afternoon I’m holding a surgery in Durrington and I’ll finish up at the Dog and Gun in Netheravon at 5ish – do join me for a pint.

By Danny Kruger, MP for Devizes