The War in Ukraine

Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd – in the Senedd at 2:56 pm on 27 April 2022.

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Photo of Cefin Campbell Cefin Campbell Plaid Cymru 2:56, 27 April 2022

(Translated)

Thank you very much, Minister. Well, as you will know, there is no doubt that this is a very serious and difficult situation for farmers, with prices for products, energy and fuel increasing, and this on top of the cuts to the agriculture budgets from the Conservative Government and the trade deals that are going to be very damaging to the sector. And the disastrous scenes in Ukraine are placing additional pressures on our farmers. We're familiar with the historic status of Ukraine as the bread basket of Europe, with Russia and Ukraine responsible for 30 per cent of global wheat production and some 30 per cent of maize in Britain—two vital ingredients in animal feed. And we heard yesterday that the price of fertiliser has increased around four times to about £1,000 per tonne, and the implications of this on the cost of producing food are very significant, and the reality is that every ounce of food that we can't produce in these nations is likely to come out of the mouths of the poorest people in the world. So, Minister, as farmers face these difficulties, what assessment have you made of the impact of the war on the agricultural sector in mid and west Wales?