Part of 1. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:10 pm on 14 February 2017.
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?