Everyday Food Production Businesses

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Economy – in the Senedd at 2:16 pm on 9 June 2021.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 2:16, 9 June 2021

The Member is quite right to highlight the key challenges of the customs reality that faces a range of goods going in and out of Great Britain and the island of Ireland. I've mentioned several times before the impact that is having on our ports, but it's going to have a significant and continuing impact on producers themselves. And this is an area where Wales has done particularly well. We had a target of increasing the value of our food and drink sector to £7 billion in sales terms by 2020; we got to nearly £7.5 billion. So, a successful sector that is now facing the reality of the new arrangements in place. 

On the point the Member makes about controlled-environment agriculture pilots, we've only just received the results of those pilots and we're still evaluating the results at present. The initial results are encouraging, but it's too early to say if we'll roll that initiative out more widely, but I'll make sure that Members are informed. And of course, my colleague, Lesley Griffiths, will take a keen interest in the outcome of the pilots and the choices we make here within the Government.