7. Will the Minister provide an update on the rural development plan? OAQ(5)0012(ERA)[W]

The Welsh Government rural communities rural development programme 2014-20 is supporting rural communities and the economy with a combination of Welsh Government and EU funding. Fifteen schemes have opened already and Glastir small grants will open on 27 June. We are continuing to work with stakeholders to refine and develop the programme.

Thank you. It was good to see the NFU here in the Senedd today outlining their vision for the industry. But, what the NFU, like farmers across Wales, are looking for is not simply warm words of support from Government, but action too. Now, there was a pledge made by the previous Minister that the new rural development plan could be transformational in terms of the rural economy and the agricultural industry. Two years in to the programme, having only a handful of projects approved is a long way from being transformational. Farmers in my constituency of Anglesey, and farmers across Wales, are still waiting. So, when is this transformation going to happen and will the Minister share her vision on the potential for the new RDP?

I think you’re absolutely right. We do need to see much more of a transformational change, and we need to do that in partnership with the farmers. Certainly, from my discussions with the FUW and NFU, they’re very up for this. I do think that they want to see some speed in relation to going forward. One of the things I have discussed with them is the strategic initiatives, and to have those strategic initiatives running right across the RDP to make sure we’re improving skills for instance. I also think we need to look at how we can help them with the sustainability and the resilience of their businesses, and to look at the business side of it, because I think farmers, certainly in my very early discussions with them, are perhaps not the best people to run a business. They haven’t that kind of business perspective, yet they want to work with us in relation to that. This is just some of the farmers I’ve spoken to early in the portfolio—I’m not saying all farmers at all. But this is the thing they’re saying to me that they want assistance with, and that’s where I think we can help, with strategic initiatives across the RDP.

Minister, I would endorse the comments of the original speaker on this about the speed that the money is being delivered out of the rural development plan into the various schemes. I’d be grateful if you could enlarge on some of your comments in the last answer to say: are you satisfied with the speed that is being developed behind the rural development plan to create that transformational agenda that you talk about? Because many of the sentiments people do support, but there is a huge logjam, I would suggest to you, in the system of processing applications to the RDP, and, above all, people actually accessing the money in the first place. So, what are your initial assessments, given you’ve now been in post several weeks?

Well, it only won approval in May of last year, so it’s only just over a year. We have opened 15 schemes: I opened a further scheme last week. We’ve got over £260 million of funding committed across all sectors. So, I think there is, as I say, immense potential for the sector. I want to really work on those strategic initiatives across. I suppose we can always do things more quickly, but I don’t want to see logjams and I want to see that money out there as quickly as possible, and I’ve pledged to do that.