The Production of Fruit and Vegetables

Part of 3. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs – in the Senedd at 3:42 pm on 11 December 2018.

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Photo of Jenny Rathbone Jenny Rathbone Labour 3:42, 11 December 2018

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. We currently produce 60 per cent of our own food and a lot fewer fruit and vegetables are produced in this country. Whilst we have absolutely no idea what the outcome of the Brexit negotiations is going to be, it seems to me that we need to prepare for the possibility of the worst-case option of a 'no deal' Brexit, which, of course, would instantly cut us off from our fresh fruit and vegetables. So, in the light of that serious threat to our food security, I wondered what the Government is doing to promote things like the hydroponic system developed by a Cardiff University graduate, Adam Dixon, who has patented something called Phytoponics in Aberystwyth. Using a small greenhouse, they've grown 2 tonnes of tomatoes right up until November, which, to me, is a very important example to farmers who tell me, 'We can't produce vegetables and fruit in this country, because our weather isn't good enough, because our soil isn't appropriate.' It seems to me that that is a demonstrable example of how we can indeed produce our own fresh fruit and vegetables to enable us to service our schools, our hospitals, and, indeed, all our tourist businesses, as well as our local population.

So, I just wondered what the Government is doing to build on the success of Phytoponics. Adam is now going to be representing Europe at the global climate action summit in San Francisco because of the excellence of his work, which, obviously, hopefully, many other countries will build on. But it seems to me that this is something that Wales needs to do as well if we're going to counter the proposals to sell rubbish food from the United States.