Part of 2. Questions to the Counsel General and Minister for European Transition (in respect of his 'law officer' responsibilities) – in the Senedd at 2:54 pm on 24 November 2020.
Well, I'm sorry to disappoint Janet Finch-Saunders, but I think that those questions are largely focused on the policy response of the Government in relation to supporting the red meat sector, and I do think that those questions are probably more appropriately put to Lesley Griffiths as the Minister responsible. But, from a legal perspective, she will be aware that, in the Agriculture Act 2020, for example, Welsh Ministers took powers specifically to deal with exceptional market conditions, which these conditions obviously would represent, and provide powers for us to support the sector in those circumstances.
As she herself makes clear, it is vitally important for the red meat sector that an agreement should be reached. Thirty-five per cent of our lamb crop is exported, and 90 per cent of that is exported to the EU market. So, if we do not secure a deal that protects the interests of Welsh farmers in that respect, there will certainly be the need for UK-wide intervention, and we will look to the Treasury to fund that intervention. But, as I say, we have the legal framework in place to enable that to happen.