The next item is the Direct Payments to Farmers (Crop Diversification Derogation) (Wales) Regulations 2020. I call on the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs to move this motion—Lesley Griffiths.

Motion NDM7324 Rebecca Evans

To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 27.5:

1. Approves The Direct Payments to Farmers (Crop Diversification Derogation) (Wales) Regulations 2020 laid in the Table Office on 29 April 2020.

Motion moved.

Diolch, Llywydd, and I move the motion. The greening requirements in retained EU legislation provide that the agricultural practices beneficial for the climate and the environment are crop diversification, maintaining existing permanent grassland and having an ecological focus area on the agricultural area.

The crop diversification rules require farmers on holdings with between 10 and 30 hectares of arable land to grow two different crops, with the largest crop not covering more than 75 per cent of the arable land. On holdings with more than 30 hectares of arable land, farmers are required to grow at least three different crops, with the largest crop, again, not covering more than 75 per cent of the arable land, and the two largest crops together not covering more than 95 per cent of the arable land.

Over the past 12 months, Wales has experienced higher than average rainfall. As a result, this has limited farmers' capacity to comply with crop diversification rules, either because they cannot access flooded land, or land is too wet to plant. These regulations remove the crop diversification requirement completely for the 2020 basic payment scheme year. This means farmers in Wales will not have to comply with the crop diversification requirements to plant more than one crop in 2020. It also means, in order to receive payment in full, farmers will not be required to provide evidence showing they've attempted to comply but failed for force majeure reasons. Diolch.

I have no speakers, and therefore I'm assuming that the Minister doesn't want to respond to herself, so I'll ask if—. The proposal is to agree the motion, then. Are there any objections to that? I see no objections and therefore the motion is agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

Motion agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.