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.