Part of 2. Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for European Transition (in respect of his European transition responsibilities) – in the Senedd at 2:47 pm on 11 November 2020.
Well, that's an important question from the Member. The reason that the trade levels are so low are because of the pattern of trade in terms of our red meat exports with the European Union, which means that 90 per cent of our lamb exports end up in the European Union, for example, and that is as a result of farmers in Wales making a perfectly rational decision to export to one of the largest markets in the world that is right on their doorstep. As I say, that's a perfectly rational economic decision. I would have thought they were probably assuming the UK Government would make perfectly rational economic decisions as well, which obviously they aren't making in this particular context. I know that she will join with me in regretting the remarks of Liz Truss, for example, which appeared to criticise Welsh farmers for putting their eggs in one basket. If Welsh farmers' interests are not protected in the context of these negotiations, that will not be their fault; it will be the fault of the UK Government.
In the context of trade agreements with other countries, we absolutely welcome any opportunity to enhance the markets available for Welsh farmers. There is no question about that. We will support food producers, we will support exporters in any way that we can, and we do that already of course. But the reality of the situation is that the contribution that those markets will make to the exports will be significantly smaller for basic economic reasons than the current level of exports to the EU. That's not to say we shouldn't pursue those opportunities—we should and we are, but I think there needs to be a sense of reality about the capacity of those agreements to replicate even a fraction of the trade that would be lost with the European Union.