2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:18 pm on 6 July 2021.

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Photo of Darren Millar Darren Millar Conservative 2:18, 6 July 2021

Minister, can I call for a statement on biodiversity and its protection in relation to felling in Welsh Government-owned forests? So, I've been contacted, as the red squirrel champion, regarding the felling of 17 acres of Pentraeth Forest on Anglesey. This is much to the consternation of the red squirrel enthusiasts—the Red Squirrel Survival Trust and red squirrel experts like Dr Craig Shuttleworth—who believe that this will set back the conservation efforts on the island by at least a decade. Now, this is one of the few strongholds that red squirrels have, including other parts of Wales, of course, but this is the strongest area for red squirrels in the country, and I would have thought that we needed to make sure that any felling that takes place on Welsh Government land in areas such as this is done so in a way that doesn't jeopardise the conservation efforts that have been made. The squirrels trust have been calling for the intervention of the Minister to prevent this—[Interruption.]—to prevent this felling from taking place. I'm sorry, I'm finding it difficult to concentrate because of chuntering from the Plaid benches. I'm finding it very difficult to concentrate.