So, what's wrong with the Welsh Government's approach at the moment? Well, we can look at a selection of its strategies and policies around agriculture, food and drink, and there's a plethora of them: we have 'Food for Wales, Food from Wales: Food Strategy for Wales', the food and drink action plan, the strategic action plan for the Welsh red meat industry, the horticulture strategic action plan, the dairy sector strategy, the food tourism action plan for Wales, the Wales seafood strategy, et cetera. All well and good, of course, in their own right; they all set out important objectives and actions. But where, or at what point, do they all come together? Where is the alignment that ultimately and collectively provides a coherent national policy?

The former Minister for Natural Resources and former Deputy Minister for Farming and Food asked the Public Policy Institute for Wales to provide advice on whether the Welsh Government's food strategy was sufficiently comprehensive and up to date, and the review made a number of recommendations, which I'm afraid appear to have been largely ignored. In the report, they conclude that—and I quote—

'Weaknesses and blockages in the governance of food policy in Wales since 2010, coupled now with a greater understanding on the interconnected vulnerabilities which underpin sustainable food systems, mean that there is an urgent need to develop a fresh and clear vision and strategy for the food system in Wales.'

And of course, that doesn't just mean rewriting the food and drink strategy; it needs to go much wider and it needs to go much deeper than that.

So, Plaid Cymru is calling for the Welsh Government to establish a cross-sector food system commission. We're adding our voice to those calling for this commission to be tasked with developing a road map towards a food system that's fit for future generations. That was, of course, as Members will be aware, I'm sure, a key demand of the significant work commissioned by the WWF on this, supported by the Food Policy Alliance Cymru and others, who want the proposed road map to specifically consider six priorities. Firstly, there's access to food, and that Wales becomes the first nation to eliminate the need for foodbanks, and that everyone in Wales has dignified access to the food they need to live a healthy life. And that leads to the second priority, of course, which is food for public health, building on the Welsh Government's strategy to promote healthy and balanced diets by ensuring its recommended vegetable consumption is actually produced sustainably in Wales, meaning of course a big increase in domestic horticulture and the growing of vegetables in Wales. Next is the need for a net-zero-carbon food system, which is self-explanatory, as is the need to adopt more agroecological principles across the whole food system, in order to halt and reverse the loss of nature, and of course to increase climate resilience. Achieving sustainable seafood is another of the priorities outlined, setting catch limits that enable fish stocks to be restored and maintained above biomass levels that deliver the maximum sustainable yield, and finally a priority around creating sustainable food sector jobs and livelihoods; everyone who earns their living within the food system should receive or be able to receive at least the living wage or a fair return for their work, and work, of course, that is also free from exploitative practices.

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it's that just as we should never again take for granted our health and care workers, neither should we ever again take for granted those who produce and supply the food we eat. COVID-19 has really underscored the value of having an indigenous primary production base, particularly of course in a world where supply chains are so complex, operating on a just-in-time basis and quite easily disrupted, as they have been in recent times and even before the imminent end of the Brexit transition period. Insulating those supply chains from shocks presents a real challenge, and one way to achieve this is through shortening our supply chains, meaning increased local processing. And more local processing has a huge role to play in helping create a more sustainable food system in Wales.

The reality, though, is that recent AHDB statistics suggest that Wales has the capacity to process less than half of the milk that we produce. Most of the milk produced in Wales, one of the biggest milk fields in Europe, is taken out of Wales to be processed. Millions of gallons of liquid milk are shipped out every year, and hundreds of thousands of tonnes of dairy produce shipped back in. Well, how many food miles does that represent, I wonder? And a review of the beef sector in Wales in 2014 found that 72 per cent of Welsh cattle were slaughtered outside of Wales. Of British sheep, 31 per cent are bred in Wales, but only 24 per cent are slaughtered in Wales. So, all of this represents value lost, income lost and jobs lost to the Welsh economy, let alone, of course, the huge carbon emissions cost that comes with it. This really has to change.

Now, the obvious solution to this is to increase Welsh processing capacity across the board, meaning not only halting but reversing trends regarding the number of small abattoirs in Wales, which has halved over the past 25 years. I think only around 18 still exist, and for dairy processing, living as I do in north-east Wales, of course, we've seen just in the last couple of years how we've lost Arla in Llandyrnog, Tomlinsons in Wrexham—major milk processors here in north-east Wales. So, reversing the loss of this provision would be a positive move for the communities who live and work in rural areas, it would be good for animal welfare as well, of course, in that you're not moving as many animals around the country, it would be good for tackling climate change, and good for the rural economy. That, of course, is the well-being economics lens I mentioned earlier—the new world view that I thought the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 was supposed to embed in Welsh public policy.

Now, my colleagues will expand on other aspects that need to be addressed in this debate, such as the role of public procurement, the importance of buying local food, the role of food in the green recovery, food poverty and the health impacts of food, and I'll address the amendments tabled by the other parties in my closing remarks after listening to the contributions of others. In normal circumstances, of course, this week many of us would have attended the Royal Welsh winter fair, one of the finest prime stock shows in Europe, drawing crowds from far and wide to enjoy two days packed full of competitions, festivities, Christmas shopping and, of course, a wonderful showcase for the best that we have to offer in terms of Welsh food.

But there are, of course, systemic problems within the wider food system in Wales that urgently need addressing. Too many people in Wales can't afford access to a healthy diet. The food system has negative impacts on the environment, on public health, and on our economic well-being, and all of this is hindering our ability to prosper as a nation. The Welsh Government needs to urgently bring forward a more coherent approach to food policy in Wales. I look forward to hearing contributions from all sides of the Chamber. Diolch.