Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. I'm very pleased, Llywydd, that I brought my list of species champions for Assembly Members this afternoon. I'm obviously very aware of the red squirrel population in the forest that the Member refers to. NRW are working very closely with the Red Squirrels Trust Wales through their Red Squirrels United project, and that's really engaged a significant number of volunteers to...
Lesley Griffiths: 'Prosperity for All: A Low Carbon Wales' sets out 100 policies and proposals to meet our current carbon budget and set a longer term decarbonisation trajectory for Wales. We have subsequently become the first parliament in the world to vote in favour of the declaration of a climate emergency.
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. You will have heard me mention in an earlier answer that the reason we declared a climate emergency was to ensure that we did galvanise not just Governments but businesses, communities and individuals to take action now. It's very important we take action now. You suggest a couple of ways we can do this, and I go back to the low-carbon delivery plan. There are 100 policies and...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. I mentioned that officials are currently digesting the advice we had from the UK CCC, but we are also reviewing the urgency of actions in our low-carbon plan to see where we can take further action following the declaration. I chair the ministerial task and finish group—which is a cross-Government group—and I've made it a priority for that group to have a look at how we can...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. The Welsh Government is supporting the growth of the food and drink industry across all of Wales. A £10 million call for proposals for investment in food businesses opened at the beginning of May. I intend to publish a consultation on future plans to develop the food and drink industry beyond 2020 by July.
Lesley Griffiths: Absolutely. So, again, this is cross-Government working with several Ministers to ensure this happens. I think procurement is an area where we have a big opportunity. If we're clutching opportunities post Brexit, I think this is one area that we can do that. And as you say, if we buy local produce, it helps not just our farmers and our food producers, but also our climate.
Lesley Griffiths: I think the Member makes a very important point. We've had discussions about this over the last two or three years, and if we're going to see these hubs developing, I think it's really important that we have food production standard buildings to go along with it. Obviously, we've got the food innovation centre in Llangefni, so I think it does lend itself to having that sort of food zone, if...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. I published the natural resources policy in August 2017. This was the second statutory product of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016. The focus of the natural resources policy is the sustainable management of Wales's natural resources, to maximise their contribution to achieving goals within the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. I think you make a very important point about our forests and you'll be aware that one of the First Minister's manifesto commitments was to bring forward a national forest. At the moment, he and I are going to consider options as to how we bring that forward. Obviously, I know Llandegla forest very well, I live not far from it, and certainly the extra funding it brings into the...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. Tackling air pollution in South Wales West and across Wales remains a top priority for the Welsh Government. Actions to improve air quality across a range of sectors, including agriculture, transport and industry, will be in our clean air plan for Wales, which will be consulted on this autumn, building on our clean air Wales programme.
Lesley Griffiths: This is a matter that falls within the remit of my colleague the Minister for Housing and Local Government, who is now going to answer questions. But I'll be very happy to have a discussion with her and write to the Member.
Lesley Griffiths: Yes, absolutely. Having been the planning Minister not that long ago, I'm very aware of that and the impact on policy. The Minister heard your request and will be very happy to do that.
Lesley Griffiths: I will write to the Member with that, because off the top of my head I'm not aware that I've actually had that meeting. So, I will ensure that happens and write to the Member.
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Last year, the Welsh Government carried out one of its largest consultations on agriculture. I am extremely grateful to everyone who engaged in the discussion. Given the importance of farming in Wales, it is unsurprising the debate was significant. Views expressed by respondents were strong and wide-ranging. Despite this, the vast majority agreed Welsh...
Lesley Griffiths: On the basis of consultation feedback, and flowing from Wales’s legislative framework, the Welsh Government proposes to pursue an objective of sustainable land management, which balances the needs of the current generation with our obligations to the next. This, of course, includes Wales’s future farmers. Food production is a vital component of sustainable land management. A sustainable...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you, Andrew, for those questions and those comments. I absolutely agree with you: I do think I have the most exciting job in Government, and you're quite right, this is the first time in 45 years we've had the ability to be able do this, and that's why we need to get the agricultural policy and the support policy absolutely right. I won't to be rushed. I've not been as early as I...
Lesley Griffiths: I hope it's very clear to everyone, to Members in the Chamber and to our stakeholders, that we have listened and we have taken note of the consultation responses. I wanted to make it very clear last year that it was a meaningful consultation, and I hope that is appreciated that we have changed several of the proposals. You mentioned not using the term 'land manager' any more; farmers are...
Lesley Griffiths: Diolch, Llyr. I should probably say, to prepare everybody, that the consultation that we'll be bringing forward in July—you said you're looking forward to getting it—is going to be very detailed. It's probably going to be twice the size of 'Brexit and our land', so just a little bit of a health warning there, because it is going to be so detailed. I think I've always co-designed. The...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you. Jenny Rathbone raises a very important point. I was reading the other day that UK home production in vegetables contributed 73 per cent of total supply in 1995, and it's now dropped to around 54 per cent. So, you can see there is a real opportunity there, and certainly we want every type of farmer to be able to access the scheme. So, if we've got a horticultural farmer who wishes...
Lesley Griffiths: Thank you, Joyce Watson, for those comments and questions. I have not met a farmer who doesn't take his or her environmental responsibilities very seriously. Just this week, NFU Cymru are holding a conference, which unfortunately I can't attend, to focus on the environment. And, certainly, NFU announced that they wanted to be carbon neutral by 2040, and I think our beautiful landscapes are...
