Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs – in the Senedd at 2:24 pm on 16 December 2020.

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Photo of Lesley Griffiths Lesley Griffiths Labour 2:24, 16 December 2020

You are quite right that there's a huge amount of uncertainty at the current time, particularly in relation to funding. As you say, the UK Government have cut the agricultural funding by—we're £137 million short; we're still fighting to get that funding returned to us, but, clearly, funding is a significant issue. However, this is an opportunity. We know we need to bring forward an agricultural Bill very early in the sixth Senedd. This is a consultation, again. This consultation is open until 25 March. Nothing is set in stone and, as I say, no final decisions will be taken. We've engaged significantly over the past four years, since the European Union referendum. Officials have met with a wide range of stakeholders; I, myself, have met with a wide range of stakeholders. We've had many discussions in the development of the evidence base that this White Paper has been based on.