5. Statement by the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs: Preparing the rural economy and fisheries sector for a 'no deal' Brexit

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:28 pm on 1 October 2019.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Lesley Griffiths Lesley Griffiths Labour 4:28, 1 October 2019

Diolch, Llyr, for your questions. I think you're quite right about the irony. Certainly, I think that our fishers in particular are going to be faced with much more bureaucracy and red tape. Clearly, they are a very vulnerable sector and, along with the sheep sector, we've made it very clear that they will need additional support. 

You ask if we have a plan B. Well, as I say, I have not got millions of pounds stashed away in my budget to be able to support the sheep sector in the way that we have discussed, forming that joint policy with the UK Government and the other administrations. So, we would have to look very carefully at how we could find that money. But, I have to say, you will have heard the Prime Minister say, and you can either believe him or not, that he would support the agricultural sector. He's said that many times. I am now continuing to seek assurance from the UK Treasury that they will provide the funding in the way that we have discussed for many months now to support the sheep sector. Certainly, if I was a betting person, I would say that they will do it, because I do absolutely believe them when they say that they understand the impact on the sheep sector, and they just would not allow it to happen if we did have a 'no deal' Brexit. 

In relation to fisheries, we need to again look at the funding that we would be able to use to support our fishers, because it's very clear that the impact of a 'no deal' Brexit probably would happen very, very quickly—even quicker than the sheep sector. So, we will need to look at a way of protecting that industry.

Obviously, civil contingencies sit in the portfolio of my colleague Julie James, and she is making a statement later on, but I have had discussions, particularly with one of the farming unions, around civil unrest, because over the summer the Farmers Union of Wales made their view very clear around their concerns. So, I have taken the opportunity to work with them to see what we can do to mitigate that. We can't mitigate everything, but I think it's obviously an issue that is high up on our agenda.

You referred to panic buying and food, and I think the message that we've been trying to give to people is that, okay, there might not be the choice, but the food will be there. And I've worked to have discussions with supermarkets and with logistics companies, and the Brexit Minister and I are arranging to speak to some of the supermarkets again and some of the main logistics companies in Wales to make sure that they are still in that position.

In relation to using all our resources, you will be aware that I've had to move officials from pieces of work. I still don't want to suspend the consultation. I think it's more important than ever that we prepare for what is to come. And clearly, things are going to be very different. So, I want to continue to work with everyone, particularly around the co-design. I have just had another letter, not that long ago, from one of the farming unions asking me to do that. I've reflected; we've had a look at the number of consultation responses that were coming in and, again, at the moment, I am not going to suspend the consultation.