They also wanted to see greater use of their own professional creativity and informedjudgement - but they considered it particularly unlikely that would happen.
"In my judgement an informed and fair-minded observer would recognise that the intention of Parliament was that we should equip ourselves where possible with sufficient expertise to deal with the very difficult and very important questions we have to determine, " said the judge.
And sure enough the National Farmers' Union was apoplectic, raging at the "ill-informed and simplistic report", condemning ministers for their "poor judgement".