3. What action is the Welsh Government taking to support the farming industry in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire? OQ56390

Farmers within Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire have received basic payment scheme payments in 2020 totalling over £27 million. Our Farming Connect service has continued to support farmers, providing advice and online training, whilst also having the ability for support on the phone during the COVID-19 crisis.

Minister, we all know that we do need to tackle the polluting of our countryside by outdated farming practices, and the best way of doing this is to ensure that the farming industry is on board with any regulations and changes that you introduce. And in my view, the NVZ regulations passed last week have managed to achieve the opposite, and they've been roundly condemned by farming unions, farmers and many in rural communities. The First Minister last week claimed, in voting against the regulations, that we would be voting in favour of continued pollution, which, to be honest with you, just shows how out of touch, I think, he is with the farming community.

Farmers are the backbone of our nation, many farm incredibly responsibly, and you and I have had much correspondence over the years about, in particular, one really bad super farm in my area who constantly pollutes, pays the fine, and then carries on doing exactly the same. So, it's been this 'punish all for the sins of a few'. So, what can you say to the Welsh young farmers' clubs who've highlighted this issue over recent years? Because it's vital to ensure that the young people in my area feel that they're entering a profession that is valued and respected. What can you do to reassure young people looking to get into agriculture, that they will be valued by the Government and not used to deepen the political gulf between rural and urban Wales?

Well, I would say to the young farmers' clubs, as I would say to anybody in the farming sector or anybody with an interest in our farming sector, that these agricultural pollution regulations are there for their benefit. They are there to stop the number of agricultural pollution incidents that we have seen year after year after year. I don't think the First Minister's out of touch with the sector. I don't think I'm out of touch with the sector. And whilst I appreciate there's been a huge amount of media focus and noise from the farming unions, I wish I could share the number and pieces of correspondence I've had from farmers who absolutely are in agreement with these regulations, because we only hear one side, really. We don't see and hear the other side. They don't make the noise, perhaps, that some others do.

But what I think is really important is this Government is absolutely on side with the sector. I've had a very good relationship with the farming unions. We've disagreed on this, and we've disagreed on other things, but it's always been very robust. But the one thing that I know they recognise, because they tell me this, is that Welsh Government is absolutely on their side, and we've done everything we can to support them through the very difficult and uncertain times we've had leaving the European Union, which by their own admission—. I remember my first Royal Welsh Show where everybody wanted to tell me that they voted to leave the European Union and how good it would be when we did. I'm afraid that view changed over the ensuing years, because we saw the mess the UK Government made of it.