Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd – in the Senedd at 3:06 pm on 15 December 2021.
Thank you. You're quite right, agriculture and food production will always produce some greenhouse gases as a result of relying on natural processes, but we are continuing to meet the challenge of reducing those greenhouse gases from farming whilst maintaining high-quality food production.
There's been a significant amount of Government support already for the sector in relation to this; that's including the Glastir schemes, for instance, for improving the biodiversity of land in Wales. We've also had the co-operation and supply chain development scheme. And those schemes have really allowed our farmers to invest in new equipment and new technology, and they've improved the resilience and sustainability of the agricultural supply chains. Joel James mentioned the sustainable farming scheme that we're proposing, and that certainly will help our farmers in relation to that, so this is obviously a scheme that we're just about to enter. I'm looking for farmers to sign up for the second part now of engagement, which will take place in the summer, because it's really important that the farmers co-design the scheme with us.