Llyr Gruffydd: Janet Finch-Saunders is right; farmers are exposed to a disproportionate share of risk within the food system, but, again, what share of the Brexit risk will Welsh farmers have to shoulder? But she did highlight calls for 2 per cent of land to be dedicated to horticulture; I think it's 0.1 per cent of the total farm area at the moment. But then again, we saw UK food box schemes oversubscribed...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you very much, Llywydd. May I thank everyone who's contributed to this debate? I think we have had a constructive debate in a good spirit, but one that's clearly highlighted many issues that need to be resolved, and I'm very pleased to hear the contributions made by everyone. I'll just deal with the amendments first of all. I'm afraid the Government amendment lost me after the first two...
Llyr Gruffydd: So, what's wrong with the Welsh Government's approach at the moment? Well, we can look at a selection of its strategies and policies around agriculture, food and drink, and there's a plethora of them: we have 'Food for Wales, Food from Wales: Food Strategy for Wales', the food and drink action plan, the strategic action plan for the Welsh red meat industry, the horticulture strategic action...
Llyr Gruffydd: Plaid Cymru wants to see a Wales, of course, where everybody has access—dignified access—to enough food, to nutritious food, sustainably produced food, in a way, of course, that secures a fair income for farmers and all food sector workers. Our food system can contribute significantly to Wales's collective prosperity when it's shaped through the lens of well-being economics and the...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you very much, Llywydd. It's a pleasure to introduce this motion in the name of Plaid Cymru this afternoon. As the motion recognises, the food sector is important and very significant for us here in Wales, but it is also fair to say that the pandemic has highlighted vulnerabilities in the current food system—vulnerabilities that may have been there for a while but have become more...
Llyr Gruffydd: The Conservative election manifesto, of course, said it would guarantee the current annual common agricultural policy budget to farmers in every year of this Parliament, yet less than 12 months later, of course, Boris Johnson has broken his promise with a whopping cut, as you've explained, in agricultural funding support to Wales. Now, farmers I've spoken with feel lied to, they feel...
Llyr Gruffydd: 1. Will the Minister make a statement on the implications of the cuts to Welsh agricultural funding announced in the UK Government’s spending review on 25 November 2020? TQ512
Llyr Gruffydd: The Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs has regularly emphasised over many months now that it is her intention to publish a White Paper on sustainable farming before the end of this year. Now, I'm looking at the business statement published, and there is no oral statement related to that White Paper scheduled at the moment. That brings me to the conclusion either that she won't...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you very much, Llywydd. We could spend a great deal of time going through the individual recommendations made in the committee’s report, many of which I agree with, but I have more fundamental issues with the foundations of the development framework, which are, of course, highlighted in the amendments tabled by Plaid Cymru, and by the fact that the committee’s report, ultimately, is...
Llyr Gruffydd: I've supported this legislation proposal for two reasons. Firstly, I agree there's been an unacceptable delay in introducing action on this agenda, but also, I want Wales to go further than what is being proposed. It has been a big frustration, really. The Welsh Government has talked the talk for a number of years but, really, it isn't walking the walk. The Government has been talking about...
Llyr Gruffydd: It's not every day that Wrexham is trending as a news story across the UK—but then it's not every day that two Hollywood superstars become the new owners of Wrexham football club. And since Monday's announcement that fans have voted to accept the offer by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, it's been a rollercoaster of media coverage, and the town is absolutely buzzing. The third oldest...
Llyr Gruffydd: Yes, with 40-odd days to go. Given the uncertainty that persists, clearly, ahead of the end of the transition period, I'd like to ask as well what the Welsh Government is doing to provide advice to animal keepers and pet owners about the availability of animal feed, given the well-documented concerns around delays to supply chains. The Government's own 'no deal' Brexit plan acknowledges...
Llyr Gruffydd: You did, of course, suggest in committee that you might have to take, as you have reiterated there, vets away from TB testing. That, of course, inevitably would mean less testing, meaning as well of course that there is a greater likelihood that tests maybe wouldn't be completed in a timely manner, which then brings the potential of greater movement restrictions facing some of our farmers....
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you very much, Llywydd. I think there's an extreme irony in the fact that we have Conservatives here complaining about the grave problems caused by Brexit, and complaining about the sluggishness of the Welsh Government. I have some sympathy with that, but they need to remind their own Government at the UK level of the slowness in providing clarity to us in Wales of exactly what will...
Llyr Gruffydd: Will the Minister make a statement on Welsh Government support for renewable energy?
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you, Llywydd, and I'm pleased to contribute to this debate today on behalf of the committee. The committee met on 2 November to discuss the Welsh Government’s second supplementary budget for 2020-21. One of the things we do is to recognise that this supplementary budget is unusual in its timing, but, of course, as the Minister has already mentioned, we do welcome the transparency...
Llyr Gruffydd: In addition, can I ask for a statement from the environment and rural affairs Minister on the UK Government's intention to reform small breweries relief. Now, currently small breweries, of which we have very many here in Wales—those that produce less than 5,000 hectolitres per year—get a 50 per cent reduction in the duty that they pay, but the UK Government intends to reform that,...
Llyr Gruffydd: May I ask for a statement from the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs on the Government's decision to cut the support that it's been providing for the hydro energy sector in Wales? I have to say that it's bizarre that on the one hand we have a Government that says they want to develop renewable energy in Wales, but on the other hand is cutting the support provided to the hydro...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you for that response, and I note the response you gave earlier to David Rees. I want to ask specifically about the situation of environmental bodies in Wales. Like a number of other organisations, they're facing difficulties, often because their sites are a source of revenue and have had to close, also membership is suffering, given that individuals tend to cut back because of the...
Llyr Gruffydd: 3. What assessment has the Deputy Minister made of the impact of COVID-19 on the voluntary sector in Wales? OQ55891
