1. What plans does the Welsh Government have to encourage agri-environment schemes in Wales? OAQ52297

Thank you. The Welsh Government continues to operate and offer successful agri-environment schemes through the rural development programme. The budget is fully committed and three further rounds of Glastir small grants are planned. The scope of future agri-environment support will target public goods and will be consulted upon over the coming months. 

Thank you very much for that. In a recent meeting with a group of organisations—the Countryside Alliance, the British Trust for Ornithology, Natural Resources Wales—I heard that agri-environment schemes for the curlew have been operating for 40 years, but they haven't worked. We've seen an 80 per cent reduction in the population in Wales over the last 22 years, and we're facing country-level disappearance completely by 2030 if we don't make urgent interventions. As you might be aware, in January there was a conference attended by 120 experts from conservation, farming, game and rural policy sectors in Builth Wells on the status and future of the curlew in Wales, and one of their key conclusions related to agri-environment programmes. They call for an evidence-based review of curlew prescriptions within existing agri-environment schemes, asking have they worked and are they suitable, and for pro-curlew policies embedded within agri-environment schemes, such as outcome-led prescriptive management. 

I'm grateful that I've got a meeting with Hannah Blythyn shortly to discuss the broader issues around the curlew, but, specifically about agri-environment issues, what engagement have you had, or will you have, with the sector to help guide the development of agri-environment schemes in the future that reverse this decline as a matter of urgency?

Thank you. As you said, there is a meeting arranged with the Minister for Environment, but what I think is very important is that we make sure that we monitor and evaluate all of our schemes in a way that shows us the outcomes. And, clearly, if there are concerns around this particular one, we'd be very happy to look at that.