The next item is item 7, a motion under Standing Order 26.91 seeking the Senedd's agreement to introduce a Member Bill, the food (Wales) Bill. I call on Peter Fox to move the motion.

Motion NDM7813 Peter Fox

To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 26.91:

Agrees that Peter Fox MS may introduce a Bill to give effect to the information included in the Explanatory Memorandum tabled on 27 October 2021 under Standing Order 26.91A.

Motion moved.

Diolch, Deputy Llywydd. It's a pleasure to move the motion on the order paper today, tabled in my name. Before I begin, I would like to declare myself as a practising farmer. But, of course, the Bill goes much further than agriculture. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Commission staff who have supported me in bringing this draft Bill together. They have been excellent, as have my own staff.

Knowing where exactly the food on your plate comes from, and wanting to tackle malnutrition in Wales, are priorities that I believe all political parties in this Chamber can support. I believe it’s our collective moral responsibility to support this Bill to underpin our food security and production in Wales for future generations. For too long, we’ve taken for granted our food production and its security in this country. Not enough people have actually posed those morally and ethically difficult questions, such as, 'Where is this food from?', 'Am I supporting the local economy with this food?', 'How can we tackle malnutrition in society?', 'How do we use the food system to tackle climate change?' We now need to see action by all Governments of all colours to deliver a more prosperous future for the people in Wales.

But, I’m not here to score petty political points Deputy Llywydd; I'm here because I believe that, together, we can make a difference. And that is why it is time for us as politicians to use the tools at our disposal. Let's step up and deliver the key areas of this Bill.

So, why is the Bill needed? Well, we've witnessed the destructive impact of COVID that has caused havoc for supply chains across the world, and the impact that this has had on the availability of products here in Wales. But, the Bill contains the blueprint for how we can develop the food sector in ways that are sustainable, that enhance Wales's well-being, and create strong networks that will help make our food system more resilient.

Granted, my Bill does not provide the silver bullet for solving all issues facing Welsh society. Instead, it provides a firm framework that will finally solve many of the issues that have been outstanding for too long. Ultimately, at the very heart of the Bill is to ensure the use of local food, creating local jobs, stimulating local economies, together with addressing major well-being and health issues across the length and breadth of Wales. These are points that, again, I believe every politician in this Chamber, here or virtual, would support.

So, to explain a little bit more about my proposed Bill, and how I developed these proposals. Issues relating to food touch upon many aspects of the workings of Government, from public health to communities, the environment and agriculture, as well as, obviously, the economy. It engages with different departments across the Welsh Government, and we have seen numerous plans and strategies from Ministers here in Wales, such as the food and drink action plan, and the food and drink Wales COVID-19 action plan.

But, as I have found out when discussing these proposals with stakeholders from across different sectors, these plans often do not speak to each other. They are often too focused on particular areas, and at times, even conflict with each other in what they are trying to achieve. Whilst I think that there is a lot to welcome, it has been clear from conversations that far more needs to be done if we are to realise the full potential of the food sector in Wales in helping to tackle some of the issues facing our communities.

And, it is important to note that the progress that has been made on some of these issues elsewhere in the UK risks leaving Wales even further behind. The Scottish Government has recently published its Good Food Nation Bill, which requires Scottish Ministers and relevant public authorities to create good food nation plans, as well as considering the need for a statutory body. The UK Government is expected to produce a White Paper to respond to the recommendations of the recent national food strategy report.

My proposals, therefore, have been shaped through many conversations with stakeholders and experts, as well as Members of the Senedd from across all parties. I would very much like to thank everyone for their time and assistance to date. I am also very pleased to have received the general backing from both the Farmers Union of Wales and the National Farmers Union in the broader principles of the Bill. The Landworkers Alliance also believe that an overarching vision for a healthy, resilient and sustainable food system in Wales is needed.

So, in summary, my Bill would do a number of things. Establishing a Wales food commission is a key part of the proposed legislation. The commission would reset the governance of the food system in Wales, and would co-create and oversee the delivery of a Welsh food strategy, alongside Welsh Ministers and other stakeholders. It is not designed to undermine the Minister or the Government, but to support them to achieve their aims.

The make-up of the commission will be further developed in collaboration with stakeholders, including the Welsh Government, as the Bill progresses. I welcome input from Members about how that may look. The Bill will place a duty on Welsh Ministers to co-produce an overarching Welsh food strategy in conjunction with other stakeholders. This will act as the strategic overarching framework that integrates policies relating to the food system across multiple Welsh Government departments.

Whilst the Welsh Government is in the process of updating its food action plan, the Government's consultation document states that it is not a proposal for a holistic food system change. Yet, that is exactly what we need in Wales, and it is what the proposed food strategy will aim to do. The Bill will require local authorities and other public services, such as local health boards, to develop community food plans. This will strengthen public procurement and create better infrastructure to link food producers and consumers.

These would build on the good practice that is already taking place across Wales, such as  Monmouthshire County Council's food development action plan, and would encourage other local communities to explore how they can strengthen the link between producers and consumers within their area.

There are also some additional policies, such as requiring Welsh Ministers to report annually on food production in Wales, so we are able to clearly analyse the outcome of the Welsh food strategy, as well as local food plans. It would allow policy makers and other interested stakeholders to make an assessment about how sustainable and robust food production is in Wales.

The Bill could require all supermarkets and other retailers to donate unwanted and unsold food that is fit for human consumption to charities and food banks to help the most vulnerable in society. This is similar to a measure that was introduced in France in 2016. The policy would help Wales's Government to meet its current obligations, such as the target to halve avoidable food waste by 2025 and reduce it by 60 per cent by 2030. I know there is already some good work going on by some supermarkets in this direction, but it’s just not enough.

Finally, the Bill would explore ways to strengthen food labelling requirements. This would be focused on ensuring that Welsh producers, manufacturers and, importantly, the additional side of the hospitality sector would strengthen—their food labelling rules would be strengthened to ensure that food produced in Wales is clearly marked as such.

However, Deputy Llywydd, I would like to stress that these are just proposals. If given leave to formally introduce a Bill, I intend on working closely with a wide range of stakeholders, as well as Members and Ministers from across this Chamber, to ensure that their views and aims are included within the legislation, because it's by working together as one Senedd that we can achieve a more prosperous, a fairer and a more equal Wales.

To close, Deputy Llywydd, I would like to take this opportunity to make an appeal to each Member of the Senedd as individuals, not political parties, not the party whips: we have a moral responsibility to act today. It is easy to overstate the impact of legislation. As I acknowledged earlier, my proposals would be one cog of a much wider machine. There are other aspects of the food system that are outside of our powers, and I do think we need to see more from other Governments to tackle some of those issues, but this Bill would give us the platform we need here in Wales to start implementing the changes we need to see.

We often hear the word ‘progressive’ thrown around in this Chamber. Well, let’s deliver on progressiveness. A Welsh solution for Welsh issues, made for the people of Wales. To quote Professor Kevin Morgan and Simon Wright in their recent op-ed about my Bill, and I quote:

'Common sense, as well as reams of research evidence, tells us we must deliver. Future generations will find it hard to comprehend our failure to do so.'

Deputy Llywydd, I look forward to hearing the views of Members from across the Chamber. Diolch.

I call on the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, Lesley Griffiths.

Diolch. I thank Peter Fox for bringing his proposed Bill today, and I welcome the opportunity to respond on behalf of the Welsh Government. I met with Peter to discuss his proposals and I was impressed by his passion for this agenda, which he has just displayed again. I hope this debate can be part of an ongoing conversation about the ways we can work together to bring about the aspirations he has and which I, and many across this Chamber, share. 

I strongly agree with the sentiment behind the proposed Bill. There are huge well-being benefits to be gained from rethinking our attitude towards food and the role it plays in our society. I believe there is much we can do by building on the consensus we do have across the Senedd, and by supporting the creativity and commitment of people across Wales. However, I do want to urge Members to consider the ways in which the aspirations of the Bill can be delivered more quickly and more effectively than by the specific provisions proposed, and to work with us to enable a set of real, practical differences to be made on the ground.

The national food commission and the layers of annual Government strategies proposed by the Bill would risk stifling rather than supporting local entrepreneurs, community organisers and public servants. I believe it would make unnecessary law for topics where action can and already is being taken. There are a wealth of initiatives and vibrant communities of interest in Wales centred on food, and the creative ways in which Welsh local authorities and the voluntary sector responded to the provision of food to the vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic, I think is one example, as are the hundreds of community food-growing projects who sought support through the Local Places for Nature scheme to expand their work as a way of helping people through the terrible impact the virus had, and continues to have, on our communities.

The cluster network of food businesses in Wales is another excellent example of both the passion and collaborative spirit that exists in the food industry here in Wales, as is the strength of Welsh businesses showcased at the Blas Cymru conference held last month, where we attracted investors from right across the globe. Through the foundational economy challenge fund, we supported a project, led by the Carmarthenshire public services board, to develop opportunities for public sector procurement of locally produced and supplied food, supporting local businesses to grow, which I believe could be a helpful guide, where we can support others to follow.

Learning from the successful ways in which our support for food-based initiatives has been delivered, working with businesses and communities as well as public bodies, I believe we need a bottom-up approach, rather than a top-down approach. This can build on work that has already been delivered at small-to-medium scale in Wales, and we now need to grow and expend that. That is where I believe our focus should be—on practical problem solving and supporting local action across the country, rather than creating a set of new legal duties and bureaucratic arrangements.

Minister, I wonder if you'd give way on that. 

Yes.

Minister, you will know that the co-operative Senedd group, actually, produced a report on this within the last two years and, indeed, it very much supported that grass-roots, co-operative approach to developing a stronger food network, where, indeed, there were local food networks, where primary producers, as well as co-operative producers, as well grass-roots organisations, could be part of this. But we have a great deal of sympathy, actually, with some of the parts of the legislation put forward, so can I just ask the Minister: if legislation is not the answer, as I suspect you are arguing, how will you make good on that commitment to engage with Peter, with external stakeholders, with others in this Chamber today, but also with the co-operative movement and others who do want to see an absolute transformation within this field?

Thank you, and the Member raises a really important point, and I’ve certainly had a look at that report, and you’ll be very aware, as a Government, we’re already committed to developing a community food strategy, which was in our manifesto, and was partly based on that report, about empowering community-led action, making the food system better connected with citizens, and creating a diverse supply. And it’s now in our programme for government, as you’re aware, and I’m very happy to work with whoever wants to take that strategy forward.

Food will absolutely be a common factor in the community food strategy, and I’ve already started to work with officials, looking at cross-Government initiatives, and it’s really interesting to see just how much budget is spent right across Government. When you look at it, practically every Minister’s portfolio has something that will bring forward into that community food strategy, and I think it will really strengthen our communities, it will improve well-being, it will provide opportunities for both mental and physical health and greening the environment. I’m very happy to commit to continuing to work with any Member who wants to take forward that strategy, to identify ways that we can adopt and develop ideas that were in that report that had been put forward.

I think we’ve got an opportunity also to take forward proposals around reducing food waste from businesses, and Peter referred to that also, through our planned regulations on business waste recycling. There are also opportunities to work with other Governments of the UK and with businesses in Wales on improved food labelling. I think that is absolutely vital.

So, where the Senedd can form a consensus on these issues, there will be many opportunities to put forward those shared priorities into practice—opportunities that I believe the proposed Bill, contrary to its intention, would diminish rather than enhance. So, I would urge Members to work with us on supporting local champions, for instance, to work with each other, with public bodies, with businesses, so everyone can play their role in maximising the benefits that we have to look at the well-being benefits of producing food, because there are many, many there, and distributing food more fairly and properly, valuing the role that food has in our communities.

I am unable to back the Member's Bill as proposed because I do believe its implementation would divert us from the priorities I believe we share, and I do also believe there are a lot of proposals—and Peter will be aware of this—in the Bill that I don't think require new legislation. However, I'm very keen to back him in his determination to identify ways to strengthen food security and improve well-being through encouraging the supply of the high-quality and sustainable food produced here in Wales. Diolch.

I would like to thank my colleague Peter Fox for bringing forward such an important proposal, which I feel should be welcomed across the political divide. It's an excellent proposal for a Bill, and I commend my colleague Peter Fox for bringing forward this. As a Senedd, we have the opportunity to legislate in this important area and strengthen the security of the food supply, improve choice for Welsh consumers and support our rural communities and farmers and local businesses across Wales. 

Supporting agriculture is, obviously, at the heart of this Bill, and, as a farmer's daughter, that delights me. At an all-Wales level, we need the security of knowing that food production is sustainable and localised to reduce food miles and cut wastage. With a full national debate on climate change raging right now in the light of COP26, there is greater awareness of these issues amongst the public, and there's a responsibility on Government to ensure that consumers are well informed to enable them to make choices about what food they buy. We need stronger regulations on food labelling so that the public can make a clear choice about where they choose to spend their money. An increasing number of people want to proactively purchase food that has been grown, harvested and packaged locally, with as few miles as possible, so it is important we ensure they have access to this information to make an informed choice. Monmouthshire, my home county, Peter's county, is increasingly the food hotspot in Wales now, with so many quality local suppliers, and we need to capitalise on that, but we need to do more to strengthen local procurement and ensure that small and medium-sized producers have equal access to competitive markets.

Food is a key driver to our tourism economy, tourism being the bread and butter of our economy here in Wales, and we should be doing more to support that. There's a lot of excellent best practice at the grass roots as you said, Minister, but they should be helped from above, they should be helped from the Senedd, to really guide them and then to roll out that best practice across Wales. That is why it's so important that we use this Bill to place a duty on Ministers to produce a food strategy.

As shadow Minister for education, I am, of course, interested in school meals, and it's always so disappointing, what we're seeing on the school menus. It's important that we capitalise on the wonderful local produce that is around us to feed our children in schools, and I do believe that the quality of what we have around us and the lack of food miles is something that children want to see, but also it's important for their nutrition, to tackle obesity and just the wider role that food—good food, good local food—can play. 

I'm very proud to be Welsh and I want to see Wales's future secured as a sustainable country that celebrates and eats local produce. I think there's a real opportunity with this Bill to celebrate what we have here. We have much to be proud of and to enjoy in our country, and this Bill would benefit so many different sectors for so many different people. For me, it's an absolutely no-brainer to support this fantastic proposal that Peter's brought forward for us today. Da iawn, Peter.

Thank you, Peter, for bringing this Bill to the floor of the Senedd. In my view, we cannot deliver a healthier, greener and more equal Wales unless we address the inequalities of our relationship with food. Everyone in Wales should have the right to good, fresh food. Sadly, that is not happening at the moment. All around us, we can see diabetes, heart disease, cancer epidemics—all evidence of our unhealthy relationship with food.

I was constantly in dialogue in the previous Senedd with the education Minister on how we can change the quality of school meals, which, supposedly, is the duty of school governors to inspect and also to report on in the school report. But, sadly, next to no governors are even aware that they have this duty, never mind being in compliance, and Estyn does not regard it as a core part of their duty. So, it is symptomatic of the lack of rigour in our whole-system approach to this matter.

Yes, there are many wonderful initiatives going on to improve our food system. Food Cardiff has achieved the silver Sustainable Food Places award, the school holiday enrichment programme has been a fantastic programme, and I very much appreciate that the Welsh Government has doubled the budget for that in the last summer holidays, but I'm afraid to say that it did not, in the case of my schools, lead to more people taking it up. It actually led to fewer schools taking it up, and I understand that, because schools are exhausted after having to keep teaching during the pandemic. But nevertheless it is illustrative that we simply do not have buy-in from all parties all around. Far too many schools think that the school meal is an add-on to the school day—something for the free school mealers and a few others, rather than central to pupils' well-being.

We have to bear in mind that obesity levels double between the start of primary school and when children go on to secondary school. That is a really stunning statistic. I am really disappointed that Wales continues to have no schools that are signatories to the Food for Life accreditation, which means that not only do schools not pay sufficient attention to the importance of school meals, but they don't even know where the food comes from, because there is nobody actually monitoring that. So, we did have, in Flintshire, a pioneer of adopting the Food for Life accreditation, which obviously rewards people for increasing the amount of fresh food that they deliver, increasing the amount of organic food that they deliver, and if Oldham, a very poor local authority, can do it, why can't Wales?

So, I have to say that whilst I am not a fan of a food commission, I am much more in favour of tracking the way we use the public money that we should be controlling and should be ensuring the quality of, not just in our school meals, but in all our care homes, in all our hospitals, and just generally ensuring that people have fresh food available for them and that they know how to cook it, because sadly that is also part of the problem.

So, I had one question for Peter Fox, which is, really: how do you think we are going to be able to strengthen food labelling requirements? Because this is something the UK Government has faffed around on, talked a lot about, but not actually done anything about. This is something that, really, we do need to have as a UK-wide thing, because just simply having different food labelling in Wales would lead to a huge additional cost to people's food bills in Wales. You really do need to work with the UK Government on this one. We cannot go on having sugar and salt in baby food, for a start, and also the constant pressure from big food, which acts just like big tobacco, to ensure that children are adopting the bad habits from day one. They spend billions of pounds trying to tell people what they should be eating, and instead we have the fantastic Veg Power, but a 2.3 per cent increase in the consumption of fresh vegetables as a result of that fantastic campaign is just not going to cut the mustard. That is why I do think that all departments within Government need to be really focusing on this matter, because, otherwise, we'll not just be spending 50 per cent of the budget on the NHS, we'll be spending three quarters of the budget on the NHS and having a very miserable existence with it.

Before I begin, I just want to place on record that I should have declared an interest earlier in local government questions as being a member of Powys County Council for my supplementary to question 4, and I should declare here as well, as my in-laws are food producers.

I'd like to pay tribute to my friend Peter Fox, as a lover of Welsh food. I, along with many in this Chamber, have campaigned for a more sustainable food system here in Wales, and putting food security at its heart and ensuring that in Wales we can support our small, family food and drink producers to improve Wales's socioeconomic outcomes for the benefit of the people of Wales. And I firmly believe, Peter, that the Bill that you have proposed today delivers on that.

In Wales, we do have a great opportunity through this Bill to improve the health of the nation, enabling us to become healthier. In our country we have major health issues in the forms of the rising cost of living, obesity and climate change, and all those have been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bill that you have proposed, I believe, can really help deliver on Welsh Government policies like the 'Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales' strategy, and deliver on the well-being goals in the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

A Wales food commission is a key part of this proposal and, I’ll be honest, as someone who does not like creating commissions or committees, for you, Peter, I might just make an exception this time, because I do believe that we have not seen the Welsh food and drink strategies being delivered as I think they should be. And I think it’s right that an overarching body such as this could add huge benefits to the food sector. I think all strategies need to be monitored and shown to be delivering for the taxpayer and delivering on our social values. Because bringing together the right skills and knowledge to develop the sector will help the environment for the better. And, as I said earlier, I believe a food commission will help us to deliver that.

As you outlined in the Bill, this is not the first time that this has been called for. A number of stakeholders in the past have previously called for an overarching body, and I know you have done an extremely large amount of work to engage with the industry, as you mentioned, with the NFU, the FUW and others, and obviously other Members in this Chamber to get cross-party support for that Bill. I’m sure that all those people will be very pleased that you are bringing this forward and bringing it to the fore.

You outlined in the Bill the aim to strengthen the resilience of the local supply chains by ensuring that local public bodies increase their procurement of locally produced food. I think that’s really, really important for helping the local economy and helping local businesses to develop. It’s very good and this fits, really, hand in glove with the Welsh Government’s own social partnership and public procurement Bill, because I think that’s really important, what was raised earlier in the Chamber, and, as I’ve said, about ‘Health Weight: Healthy Wales’. I think if we can get better food, higher quality food into public procurement, that will really help our young learners and I think that’s something that we’re very keen on on the education committee, to make sure that we’ve got good, wholesome food provided for our children.

In your Bill, you also talked about food labelling, and we're all clear in here that food from Wales must be clearly labelled to show its country of origin. I think the Bill will deliver the better labelling of food products, and that in turn helps local business and makes people have better-informed choices when they get to the shops, and it makes them have better food and it also, as you said, helps that farm to fork element of it and really does show people where their food comes from, makes it more sustainable and actually helps to reduce our environmental footprint, which is really, really important.

I know we are probably going to run over time, so I'll be quite short, Deputy Llywydd, but I do really want to support you on this, Peter, and you will have my support today. And I do hope that Members right across the Chamber support you, because I think this Bill is a great piece of legislation. It's really going to improve the economy of Wales, the lives of people in Wales, and I'm very happy to support you today.

Thank you to Peter Fox for bringing this draft Bill forward for us to consider as a Senedd. I am happy to support the Bill, and I am prepared to support the opportunity for it to mature as the process goes ahead because I do believe that this Bill could help to provide a food system that is genuinely appropriate for future generations. And a great many of the objectives of the Bill happen to correspond with Plaid Cymru policy on food, as was outlined in our manifesto a few months ago. And of course we have just emerged from the COP discussions, and food has had greater focus than anything else, and we've seen the negative effect on climate change in terms of food production. 

I'm just going to pick out a few points from what I had intended to say because so much has already been said and I don't want to rehearse those points. But, one of the things that does need to be emphasised is that our current food system is having a significant impact on the environment, on public health, the economy, agriculture and even ensuring healthy food for our schoolchildren, and this could have a major impact on our prosperity as a nation for the future.

In terms of establishing a food commission, I'm in favour of this, Plaid Cymru is in favour of this, because it ensures an opportunity to bring a holistic food strategy together, drawing all those disparate threads together in a credible and purposeful way, and it's also an opportunity to bring together not just the Government's work, but the research that's being undertaken by practitioners in our universities, by bringing food producers and providers together, and all of the departments across the public sector in Wales. So, I do see the benefits of co-ordinating all of this in one body, the food commission, and that that would be beneficial to us.

In terms of your extremely important aim of delivering a more sustainable, localised food system and strengthening the public procurement aspect, certainly this is something Plaid Cymru's always supported and we want to see an increase in the number and viability of local food supply systems. Currently, too much Welsh produce is being shipped out of Wales for processing, with the loss of much needed added value. We need to increase the processing capacity of Wales as a whole, and reversing the loss of local processing capacity will be a positive step for the communities that live and work in rural areas, and for animal welfare and to tackle the climate change agenda.

Professor Roberta Sonnino of Cardiff University described public procurement as the most powerful tool available to Governments to shape sustainable food economies, and I quote:

'It's an enormous percentage of our GDP, normally 13, 14 per cent in European countries, up to 70 per cent in developing countries, so it is a golden opportunity to decide what kind of food markets do we want to create, for whom and how.'

And as we all know, about 51 per cent of Welsh milk is processed beyond our borders, and 72 per cent of Welsh cattle are slaughtered outside of Wales. This doesn't make sense to me at all. And to fix this, we need to localise supply chains, and we need the ambitious targets for public procurement. Just imagine the joint economic and environmental benefits if 75 per cent of food procurement in Wales was sought from local suppliers. It's estimated that at local government level, an increase of 1 per cent in local procurement can lead to hundreds of new jobs created, or jobs protected.

And just to conclude, Dirprwy Lywydd, I am very fond of the reference to eradicating all kinds of food waste. The Plaid Cymru manifesto called for targets to halve food waste from farm to fork by 2030. It appears that 400,000 tonnes of food is wasted every year by homes in Wales.

So, I conclude by saying this: it is possible that Government might argue that all of this could be done in a different way, but there's a major difference between 'the Government could do it' and 'they will do it'. And what this Bill ensures is that the Government will get to grips with this issue, because I do think that this is what future generations deserve. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Can I say how delighted I am to be able to contribute in this debate today on the Member's food Bill, brought forward by my colleague Peter Fox, which has the potential to create huge opportunities for people up and down Wales? I must say at this point as well that I have also enjoyed Members' references to food in their contributions, from 'bread and butter issues' from over here and 'cutting the mustard' across the room right there as well. I'm sure those puns weren't intentional, but I enjoyed them nonetheless.

As the Bill's explanatory memorandum states, and I quote:

'The purpose of the Bill is to establish a more sustainable food system in Wales to strengthen food security, improve Wales’ socioeconomic well-being, and enhance consumer choice.'

The food sector in Wales has a fundamental role to play in helping to create a more prosperous, healthier and greener Wales. I want to quickly outline four areas in terms of how I think this Bill being proposed today will help us to achieve this more prosperous, healthy and green Wales.

The first one was just mentioned, actually, by Mr Campbell across the way there. I'm sure that all Members get frustrated at the amount of food that's wasted by shops and retailers. A key aspect of this Bill is to require supermarkets and other retailers to donate unwanted and unsold food that's fit for human consumption to charities and food banks to help the most vulnerable in society. I certainly commend those retailers who do this at the moment, but requiring somebody to do that certainly would enhance things, similar to legislation that Mr Fox pointed to already in place in countries like France.

The second area that is important here I think is the Bill's objective to establish a Wales food commission, which will help to ensure a more coherent approach to discussions on food policy in Wales as well as bringing together cross-cutting policy strands and existing plans under one unified governance. I know that some Members here may be nervous about this element of the Bill, but as mentioned before, I see this as the start of a process, the start of the journey for this Bill. We should seek to support this so that it can be further developed and further looked into over the coming months.

The third area, if this Bill is going to support a prosperous, healthy and green Wales, is about tackling those long-standing issues that plague our communities, such as food poverty, malnutrition and obesity, which Members have already so well spoken to this evening. The Bill presses for healthier foods to be available in schools and other educational settings as well as ensuring that families on lower incomes, who generally struggle with obtaining a balanced diet, can access healthy food as well.

The fourth area that is really, really important for us, especially off the back of COP26, is the huge environmental benefits that the proposals in this Bill will bring to our country. This Bill puts Welsh agriculture at the heart of our nation's food security, leading to high-quality produce, but also environmentally friendly produce. Furthermore, focusing on more sustainable produce will see an improvement in the local environment, whilst also reducing those all-important food miles.

Those are four areas that I've described there that will help to achieve a more prosperous, healthy and green Wales. And it's not just Members in this room, of course, who have supported this, but it's been really encouraging to note the Bill's endorsement by the Farmers Union of Wales and the National Farmers Union Cymru, as well as many others.

I do often note the Welsh Government's plea for positive contributions from all sides of this Chamber, and I was really pleased that today we have something that seems to me to be really positive and non-political, really, in its motives, supported by experts in the food sector, to establish a more sustainable food system in Wales, supporting the industry and unleashing their potential. 

I must say that I was disappointed to hear the Minister say that she wasn't able to bring herself to support this Bill, but I do hope that Members across this Chamber, whether virtually on the screen or physically here today, will see the benefits that this Bill can bring and will bring themselves to support this today, because it does deserve more time and more support so that people across Wales can benefit, as I've described here today. Diolch yn fawr iawn.

I'll say at the outset that I'll be supporting the Bill this afternoon, and I'm doing so because I think it does have the potential to act as a real catalyst for change. Food is at the heart of who we are—it's at the heart of our family life, it's at the heart of our health and well-being and it's at the heart of our society. It is emblematic of our national identity in many ways, as has been pointed out already this afternoon. When we think about what it is to be Welsh, we automatically go towards Welsh lamb or Welsh beef, cockles or laverbread or one of the other foodstuffs—the cheeses that I enjoy perhaps too much. It is an important part of any community and any society, and I believe that we do in Wales need to work hard in order to ensure that it is not only at the heart of our society, but at the heart of who we are. We need to recognise the scale of the ambition, which I believe this Bill has the potential to achieve.

When I launched a food strategy—it's nearly a decade ago, I think, now—we were recognising where we were at that time, and the need for fundamental change in the approaches that we had inherited at that time. But when we take decisions in Government, those decisions need to be challenged as well, and the strategy that I launched at that time isn't a strategy that I would launch today. What I like about the vision at the heart of this Bill is the opportunity to create something such as Origin Green, which I think has revolutionised food production in Ireland, where sustainability is at the heart of what the Irish Government seek to achieve, and where it acts to bring together the supply chain with those of us who are consumers. It brings together food production, it brings together food processing, it brings together food marketing, it brings together food retailing, and it brings together those of us who enjoy those products and that produce. It is something that we need to be able to do.

One of the great pleasures I've had in my time here has been to join campaigns led by colleagues of mine. The work that Jenny Rathbone has done on food justice over the years I think has been leading the debate on food in this country and its place in our society. I agreed with every word that Jenny spoke this afternoon. The work that Huw Irranca-Davies has done in leading those of us who are members of the Co-operative Party again has been groundbreaking in demonstrating the importance of food as a part of our policy approach. I heard earlier Members saying that we should put aside our party politics on these matters, but we can achieve our party political objectives through this, all of us in this Chamber, as it happens. I was impressed by the contribution from Cefin Campbell, when he spoke about the different aspects of Plaid Cymru policy that are included in this proposal. Well, I can say, as a member of the Labour Party and as a member of the Co-operative Party, that I feel very similar things. The work that we've done on sustainability, the work that the Minister for Climate Change spoke about from COP over the last few weeks, can be achieved partly through some of this legislation, and the catalyst for change that it can be. I believe that we should be doing that. I believe that we should be seeking to challenge established ways of working, we should be learning lessons from other parts of the world, we should be learning from our nearest neighbours across the water about what they've been able to do, and apply that to our own context.

I'll say this to the Government: it is important that Members are able to bring forward legislation in this place, and that the Government doesn't seek to smother that legislation when that legislation is first proposed. Since primary law-making powers were transferred to this place a decade ago, only one piece of private Member legislation has made it to the statute book, and that was Kirsty Williams's work on the Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act 2016. I was on the committee at the time, ably chaired, of course, by the Deputy Presiding Officer, and we saw how the Minister at the time, Mark Drakeford, worked with Kirsty Williams in order to deliver amendments to the legislation in order to enable the Government to support it and take it onto the statute book. What I would say to the Government today is that that is a lesson that needs to be applied.

If there are criticisms to be made of the proposed legislation—and there may well be—the commitment that I give to Peter this afternoon is that I will vote for it today to enable the scrutiny to take place. I don't make a commitment more than that because we haven't had that scrutiny, and we haven't had the opportunity to debate it. We need the opportunity to debate it, and what we cannot do is defeat the legislation without having had the opportunity to have that conversation, to have that debate, to have that discussion, and then to take a view on whether the legislation should be taken forward. So, I hope that Ministers will work with Peter Fox to look at the legislation to ensure that it is fit for purpose.

Can the Member conclude now?

Then we will be able to take a decision on this matter in due course. Thank you, Presiding Officer.

I call on Peter Fox to reply to the debate.

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Can I thank everyone who has taken part in what has been a really interesting and really important discussion about the future of the food system here in Wales? I would again like to place on record my appreciation of everyone who has helped to develop this proposal. It really has been a team effort. 

This debate, for the most part, has been really positive and it's shown how effective this Chamber can be when we're able to bring ideas forward that don't necessarily always grab the headlines, but we've had an opportunity to carefully consider things that really do affect every one of us, every day. As Alun said, it goes to the heart of everybody's lives in Wales. The food system is the backbone of the rural economy, creating prosperity and delivering jobs. It helps to showcase the very best of Wales through exporting of our renowned produce, and we've heard a lot of that today as well. It helps to cut carbon emissions and fight back against climate change. It helps to feed the nation, improving people's health and well-being, and giving them a platform they need to get on.

It helps to give our children and young people the best start in life, as we heard from Laura and from Jenny Rathbone about the importance of having high-quality food into our schools, and the fact that those opportunities are there, yet so many of those bodies that can do something about that haven't managed to do it because there doesn't seem to be the weight to make those decisions happen, and we need to change that. Put simply, the food sector has a fundamental role to play in creating a more equal, healthier and greener Wales, as my colleague Sam Rowlands said.

I would like to welcome some of the work that the Welsh Government has been doing on this, and as I've said all along, this isn't about trying to work against the Government. I know, Minister, you recognise that. It's about how we work together collectively to enhance the opportunities for Wales. And let's not hang around. We need to move fast. We need a system that really works. 

Can I thank the contributors? Jenny, you raised some really strong points and I do thank you for your support. The points on food labelling are absolutely fundamental. As I said earlier, this isn't a silver bullet yet—it's the start of a process. This is where we'll need to work closely together. As I said, there is a need for us to work with all Governments. There are some things out of our control, so we need to influence Government to change the shape of things that have shortcomings.

That's why the commission is so important. I'm not talking of a navel-gazing commission that's looking at strategy for years and years. This is a commission that would do stuff, that would do things and make things happen with the right people on there to actually shape out and fill out some of these things that are seen as lacking. But with the labelling, I want to see it on meals when you go to a hotel. If you sit down and have a meal, you need to know that you're eating Welsh food. It needs to be labelled, and there are so many things we can do about that, but we've got a lot of work to do in fleshing all of this out, no pun intended.  

Cefin, thank you for your contribution. I recognise that many elements of this you and your party really support. I really do hear your messages and I really am thankful for the support you're offering me today. 

Alun, this is a catalyst for change. We spoke before about orange and green and what's happening in Ireland, and what a fantastic initiative—how can we apply some of that learning into what our food system needs? That's what we really do need—that joined-up thinking, that learning that we can bring together through sharing our experiences and sharing the experiences we've seen across the UK. 

I am disappointed, Minister, that you can't support the Bill, but thank you for your engagement to date and your correspondence. I appreciate that. I agree that we both, as do we all in this Chamber, share a similar goal of achieving a better future for the food system in Wales, and I really believe there is an opportunity for us to work together, as well as Members across this Chamber, to deliver on this.

I know, Minister, you believe that all I suggest could be delivered without legislation, but I have to disagree, and I have to ask: if Scottish Government can bring forward legislation on this issue and UK Government also are developing legislation on this, why not in Wales? What is stopping it, apart from political will? I'm not saying there's anything wrong with the system we have in Wales—there are some good bits in it—but we need that holistic direction to pull it all together, and I believe the Wales food strategy would do that.

I'm conscious, Deputy Llywydd, I am running out of time—[Interruption.] I'm out of time. Bear with me, two seconds. Voting in favour of this Bill is not to defy your political party, but to put the welfare and future success of Wales first. Failure to back this Bill will mean we are judged to have played party politics rather than put Wales first. Failure to back this Bill will be a vote against local producers and farmers as well as the health and well-being of consumers and communities across Wales. Failure to support this Bill will ultimately be judged as a historic mistake. Thank you, Members. Thank you, all.

The proposal is to agree the motion. Does any Member object? [Objection.] Yes. Therefore, I will defer voting on the motion until voting time.

Voting deferred until voting time.