6. Statement by the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs: Sustainable Farming and our Land

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:26 pm on 9 July 2019.

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Photo of Llyr Gruffydd Llyr Gruffydd Plaid Cymru 5:26, 9 July 2019

So, there is a change in tone, certainly, here, but there's not fundamentally a change in direction. I think it's fair to say that the Government has been stung into a more conciliatory note following the response to the 'Brexit and our land' consultation. It's good to see references to collaboration and co-design in your most recent publication, it's just unfortunate, maybe, that the focus wasn't there from day one. It's also good to see you focus firmly now on rewarding active farmers, as we've already heard, and that tenant farmers will have access to this scheme. It's also welcome to see positive references to a cap on payments and on tapering payments as well, and recognising, of course, economies of scale that would, hopefully, benefit smaller farms in Wales.

Now, I pressed you two or three weeks ago on how you thought that you could actually introduce such far-reaching proposals without a clue in terms of what Brexit is going to give us and what the post-Brexit environment is going to look like in terms of our trading relationships—not only with international markets, but, of course, within the UK, potentially, as well—access to markets, whether we're subject to tariffs and, of course, what level of funding is going to be available to us. I think there is a huge irony that your consultation finishes on the day before Brexit, which is the day that everything changes, potentially. I don't want to suggest that we're wasting our time here, but if the goalposts are moving, then if you've consulted on a specific set of proposals, then it may be that we need to revisit some of that.

So, it's good that you've actually taken that on board to an extent here, because, as you say, you're not consulting on a specific timescale, because you want to see what happens in terms of Brexit. You're not consulting in terms of transition arrangements, because, obviously, you need to understand what's happening with Brexit and, particularly, on the level of payments that might be available, because, obviously, you need to see what kind of funding is available post Brexit. Well, if it's relevant to all of those, then surely it's relevant to the wider scope, as well, of this consultation.

You touched earlier on on the modelling and the impact assessments that the Government is looking to carry out. Can you confirm whether any of that work is going to start before Brexit? Because if it does, then, again, the whole thing changes and the set of circumstances might be totally different after Brexit, particularly in the economic sense that you've touched on in your previous response. So, surely a more meaningful modelling exercise would take into account the lie of the land post Brexit in terms of the economy and other factors that are influencing the future of the sector here.

Now, I am concerned, and I share concerns that have been expressed around the Government's capacity to deliver on these proposals. I know you recognise that, although I'm not hearing exactly how you're going to deal with that. To visit all farms, to discuss, agree and deliver complex scheme contracts is going to be hugely resource intensive. So, I want to understand where that resource is coming from, because you said yourself last week you have no idea how much funding you're going to get, even if you're going to get any money at all. I think Boris Johnson has added to that concern recently when he actually said that he thinks that he could probably spend some of it himself. So, there are big, big questions, and you still seem to be intent on ploughing this furrow.

Now, the statement that you've issued today commits that funding returned to Wales is not spent elsewhere, and I think that's a positive statement, clearly. But I'm just interested—if there is a shortfall, then can you today commit that the Welsh Government will make up that shortfall? I ask because the Government did exactly that last week, when it comes to the public sector pensions cost, where the UK Government actually fell short in what was provided by it, and that was made up from reserves by the Welsh Government. So, I'd be interested to know whether that principle would be the same for Welsh farmers as well.

Just another point as well—it's something I raised with you in your previous statement today, and it's a principle that you accepted there—would you commit to publishing what percentage of responses to this proposed consultation come from Wales, so that we can be clear that this is the expressed opinion of the people of Wales, and not others who wish maybe to influence this process.