6. Statement by the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs: Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:43 pm on 13 May 2020.

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Photo of Lesley Griffiths Lesley Griffiths Labour 5:43, 13 May 2020

Thank you, Jenny. I don't think I've had sight of the correspondence to which you referred, but I think you make a very important point about growing fruit and vegetables, and obviously the Welsh Government in the regulation review last Thursday, from Monday, garden centres have been able to open. I think it's been very well received by the Welsh public.

Horticulture makes up a very small percentage of the agriculture sector, it's about 1 per cent, but I think it is a key growth sector, and certainly if this pandemic has taught us one thing, it is about the sustainability and the security of our food. So, I think it was last night, officials attended in Pembrokeshire, remotely, a meeting of a very enthusiastic group of people who want to look at what we can do around community networks around growing fruit and veg. Again, I think it's about behavioural change. We are seeing more people growing fruit and veg at this time and planting, and that was one of the reasons why we believed the garden centres, so long as they practice social distance—and a lot of them are outdoors—should open.

In relation to air pollution, this goes back to what I was saying to Mandy Jones about behavioural changes, and certainly I think we've got at the moment—. We always have to look for opportunities when there are so many challenges, and one opportunity is to measure the change in air pollutants as a result of the reduced travel and commercial activity. I think what we want to understand is where air quality improvements have been found, how that then impacts on public health and how it impacts on the natural environment. It's really essential that we fully understand the change in air quality landscape and develop future policy proposals to lock in that behavioural change to which I referred in any improvements for the future. At the moment, officials are collaborating with external partners to develop a more sophisticated understanding of the changes in air quality since lockdown restrictions were introduced, and over the coming weeks and months this will, again, support any decision making on cross-Government air quality management, our future policy and our future legislation, which, as you know, is quite hefty in this area. So, that includes our clean air plan, our clean air Bill and the Wales transport strategy, and that includes active travel proposals.