Agricultural Supply Chains

Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd – in the Senedd at 3:05 pm on 15 December 2021.

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Photo of Joel James Joel James Conservative 3:05, 15 December 2021

Thank you, Minister. As you'll be aware, agricultural greenhouse gases that emanate from soil, manure and fertiliser, along with methane produced by cattle, have added considerably to climate change and are considered as bad, if not worse, than carbon dioxide. There is an urgent need to encourage everyone within land management, in particular those who grow food and manage livestock, to develop eco-friendly and sustainable farming practices to mitigate these effects and to increase the potential for carbon sequestration, or at the very least to retain existing soil carbon.

There are, of course, going to be huge costs to the farming industry for them to adapt to this and to adapt at the speed we need, and this will require significant funding and robust legal regulations that can aid them in maintaining the highest environmental standards that can eventually lead to sustainable farming practices. What assessments has this Government made of the climate finances needed to help farmers in Wales to meet an acceptable level of eco-friendly and sustainable farming? And in your mind, Minister, what additional legislation is needed to ensure that farmers and other industrial food producers in Wales can adopt eco-friendly and sustainable farming practices? Thank you.