9. 8. Statement: Update on ‘Towards Sustainable Growth: An Action Plan for the Food and Drink Industry 2014-2020’

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:08 pm on 21 June 2016.

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Photo of Nick Ramsay Nick Ramsay Conservative 6:08, 21 June 2016

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Can I thank the Secretary for her statement this afternoon and for putting forward the action plan? If I can, I’ll just ask you about two points. First of all, this is probably a good opportunity to join Simon Thomas in flagging up the CAMRA event at the Assembly tomorrow evening—always a popular event; I can’t imagine why. I know that you’re going to be speaking at that event, Minister, so thank you for that. Real ale has been a huge success story. It looked like it was on the way out 30 or 40 years ago, but that has been turned around. How is your action plan going to ensure that other areas of food and drink that haven’t been doing so well in Wales over the last few years can be turned around as well? It’s very easy to put forward action plans and to talk about these things, but what actual positive changes will that make?

Secondly, you’re right to cite Wales as a potential exemplar of best practice. Again, how is that going to be achieved? You mentioned the food festivals. I, of course, in my area have the fantastic Abergavenny Food Festival. The Minister emeritus, Alun Davies, over there, in a previous ministerial life, used to very much enjoy that festival. I’m sure that you will be joining me—and probably him as well—at this festival later in the year. What are you doing to make sure that best practice is taken from food festivals? We talk about Abergavenny Food Festival now as a success story, but it did go through some difficult patches as well. There are other food festivals, both large and small, and farmers’ markets, trying to get off the ground across Wales and trying to improve. It’d be very easy if best practice is spread from one area to another so that those up-and-coming festivals don’t make some of the same mistakes as previous ones have.