Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd – in the Senedd at 2:31 pm on 27 April 2022.

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Photo of Lesley Griffiths Lesley Griffiths Labour 2:31, 27 April 2022

Well, it is a matter of fact that some land in Wales is owned by English landlords. For all Glastir schemes that we have where a payment has been made or committed, of the £251.1 million spent, £4.4 million was made to addresses outside of Wales. So, I don't know if you're trying to create a picture that a significant amount of funding is going out, but that is the fact of what it is. So, that's less than 2 per cent—less than 2 per cent of the money paid out under Glastir schemes goes to beneficiaries with addresses outside of Wales. 

Now, do I want farmland now to be sold to people outside of Wales? No, of course I don't. However, I cannot tell farmers who to sell their land to and I don't think that you or your party would want me to do so. I am very concerned about practices that I am hearing about where people are being cold called to sell their land. I think it's fair to say that some of the farms that are being cold called are perhaps in a bit of a vulnerable position and people are playing on that. And we don't want to hear about anybody in a vulnerable position receiving phone calls like that.

So, as I say, I can't tell farmers who to sell their land to. It is also of concern that we are hearing, again, anecdotally mainly—and I have asked for concrete evidence around this—that we've got large companies coming into Wales and buying up land in order to plant trees to offset their carbon emissions. So, officials are working very closely, and I'm working very closely, with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change in relation to that area, but if anybody has any evidence of that practice, I would be very keen to hear about it.