7. Will the First Minister make a statement on support for the shellfish industry following the decision to leave the EU? OAQ(5)0456(FM)[W]

We are working with the industry and highlighting to the United Kingdom Government the fundamental need to secure continued unfettered access for Welsh shellfish to key markets post European Union exit.

Thank you for that response. In 2015, marine agriculture was worth some £12 million to the Welsh economy. It is an important industry and employer in my constituency and the ability to sell in a single market without tolls has been an important contribution to the success of the industry. To give you some figures, 98 per cent of the produce of Bangor Mussel Producers is exported—some 70 per cent to the Netherlands, 20 per cent to France and 10 per cent to Ireland. May I quote one of the leaders of the industry, who has praised some of the negotiations that have happened internally in Wales since the vote? He said that he fears the worst for Wales because of the fact that Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will not have a direct voice in the negotiations on exiting the European Union. Can the First Minister tell us, therefore, what the Welsh Government strategy will be from here on out to try to safeguard the future of these important industries?

Ninety per cent of the fish caught in Wales are exported, so any tariff or toll or any other kind of obstacle will be bad for the export market. We know that the United Kingdom market is too small to secure a future for them and that is why it’s so important to ensure that the United Kingdom Government sticks to its word in order to ensure that there is a strong voice for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland over the ensuing discussions over the next two years and more.

First Minister, I hope that the Cabinet Secretary’s meeting in April will be fruitful in promoting our shellfish to the whole of the world, not just to the European Union. But, as you know, the level of parasites found in cockles from the Burry inlet, just off the Gower coast, is higher than expected. Of course, if we are to meet the global demand, we need our cockles to survive. The European Court of Justice took action to limit the number of spills permitted in the area to help limit the rise in certain bacteria, but the cause of the disease that limits some cockles reaching maturity is still unclear. The great repeal Bill—following that, I hope the environmental laws will continue to go some way to protect cockle health. But I think we need to commit to a further sturdy on the cause and prevention of early cockle death. I’m wondering if you’re able to give that commitment to the Chamber today.

I can say that investigations into cockle mortality on the Burry inlet do continue. A progress review of an investigation we have funded will be released by Natural Resources Wales when that is complete. We are working with the industry to develop legislation to improve the management and sustainability of Government-managed cockle fisheries as well. It is a complex issue. Some years ago. I remember diarrhetic shellfish poisoning affecting the cockle beds—it was never clear what the cause was. There were different theories about what had happened. What we do know, of course, is that the affliction was there in the cockle beds. So, it’s important now that a thorough investigation is finished in good time so we have an answer. Once, of course, we have answers, we can then provide the most effective legislative response possible.

The First Minister is aware, from his time as Minister for fisheries and agriculture, how crucial the shellfish industry is to the Welsh coastline. But given that the shellfish industry was never part of the common fisheries policy or the common agricultural policy, isn’t it reasonable, therefore, that it could be expected that that industry could continue to sell into the European continent as it has done over the years?

It’s all-important—we know that shellfish is extremely important to the fisheries industry in Wales. The majority of the boats that we have are relatively small, they catch shellfish, and they don’t go very far from the coast. And they know, and we know, that there is a strong market for them in Europe. If anything were to happen to weaken their position in that market, well, they don’t have any alternative means of making the same profit. And that’s why it’s so important to ensure that the European market is open on the same terms in the future as it is now.