7. 6. Statement: Bovine TB

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:32 pm on 20 June 2017.

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Photo of Lesley Griffiths Lesley Griffiths Labour 5:32, 20 June 2017

Yes, I am hoping that will soon be—. I’m going to have a conversation with Michael Gove in the morning, and I’m hoping we’ll be able to reinstate our monthly meetings as quickly as possible.

You ask about how I will report to this place, whether it’s in the Chamber or with the committee. I certainly think I need to report annually, so we can look at whether that’s here or to the committee. One of the reasons I didn’t particularly want an annual delivery plan was that I just think that the plan needs to be flexible and fluid, but I do think that I need to report annually to Members, so that they can be aware of how successful the new approach is.

In relation to the compensation cap, as I said in my answer to Paul Davies, it was £15,000 and it’s come down to £5,000 now. It would’ve affected 1 per cent of people—of farmers—last year. However, it would save £300,000, and I am concerned that our compensation rate is 60 per cent higher than England. We have to be pragmatic about this. We are going to lose EU funding, which is currently about £4 million, in a couple of years. I’m going to hold the UK Government to what they said, but we have to plan that we won’t get that funding. I spent £11 million last year on compensation, so we have to look at it. But, again, I’m very happy, you know, the whole eradication programme needs monitoring, and I’m very happy to include that in the report to Members.