At the heart of the Bill lies the sustainable land management objectives, and the duty placed on the Welsh Ministers. This is embedded in four objectives that work to support the economic, environmental and social sustainability of our agricultural sector here in Wales. The objectives are: to produce foods and other goods in a sustainable manner; to mitigate and adapt to climate change; to maintain and enhance the resilience of our ecosystems; to conserve and enhance the Welsh countryside and culture, and promote and facilitate the use of the Welsh language; and they will contribute to achieving the well-being goals of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

The framework will enable Welsh Government to support our farmers and their contribution, not just as essential producers of food, but also as guardians of the land, ecosystems and culture of Wales. It will balance our food security with the actions desperately needed in the face of the declared climate and nature emergencies. At its core, sustainable land management works to ensure that our farmers continue to produce high-quality food and agricultural goods for generations to come.

To ensure that the steps we take have the effect they should, the Bill contains robust reporting and monitoring requirements. Working to track the progress towards achieving the four objectives through the use of indicators and targets, it will ensure accountability, transparency and oversight, as well as providing an important evidence base for future policy decisions. Through ensuring ongoing and robust opportunities for scrutiny, the reporting and monitoring provisions help to ensure that support and legislation works effectively for our Welsh agricultural sector, responding to challenges and encouraging innovation.

In July of this year, I announced outline proposals for the sustainable farming scheme. Whilst the proposed scheme will be the main source of future Government support for farmers in Wales, the Bill provides the framework on which all future agricultural support will be delivered. Our co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru stated that we would seek to work together on the longer term arrangements for Welsh agriculture, recognising the particular needs of family farms in Wales and acknowledging ecologically sustainable local food production. The Bill as introduced specifically includes the power for Ministers to provide support for the purpose of encouraging the production of food in an environmentally sustainable manner. Furthermore, today marks the beginning of the legislative journey of this Bill, and I can confirm that work is ongoing on further amendments to the Bill that we intend to publish jointly with Plaid Cymru during Stage 1.

This Bill enables Welsh Ministers to provide future support to the sector in a way that works for our farmers and our land in support of the sustainable land management objectives. It is a key mechanism in our approach to supporting farmers and the sector to produce food and other goods in a sustainable way. This will support this Government's environmental and climate commitments, as well as our agricultural sector and also the rural communities it plays an integral role within. Through the provisions in the Bill, I want to ensure that we can continue to support and encourage our farmers and producers to create and sustain a thriving agricultural sector.

As part of any good governance, regular monitoring and reporting is essential. The Bill ensures, for all support provided, there must be annual reports covering expenditure and periodic reporting to monitor and evaluate the impact of the support across the sector, as well as measuring against the purposes of support given in contributing to the SLM objectives. This will ensure value for public money and support that is adaptive to the needs of the sector.

The Bill will provide Welsh Ministers with the power to make regulations that provide tenants with a route to dispute resolution to ensure that agricultural tenants, for example, are not unfairly restricted from accessing financial assistance delivered under the power of support provisions in the Bill. The new process will provide an incentive for tenants and landlords to come to a negotiated agreement in order to avoid the costs of dispute resolution, whilst providing a legislative backstop and a means of resolution for those tenants who cannot reach a reasonable agreement with their landlord.

The Bill replaces the time-limited powers in the Agriculture Act 2020 for Welsh Ministers, including powers for Welsh Ministers to enable continuity of existing agricultural support, to collect and share data from the agricultural sector, and intervention in agricultural markets and marketing standards with which particular agricultural products must conform. The Bill also replaces time-limited powers for Welsh Ministers to make provision for carcass classification and to modify direct EU legislation relating to apiculture, marketing standards and carcass classification.

Following on from our programme of government commitment, I'm pleased to confirm the Bill also contains provisions to ban the use of snares and glue traps. It is important to note the significance of these provisions. Wales will be the first of the UK nations to completely ban the use of snares and glue traps. This is the culmination of many years of engagement on reducing harm and improving animal welfare. I'm now convinced a ban is the only way forward. Snares and glue traps are indiscriminate when it comes to the animals they capture. They are inherently inhumane for both target and non-target species and, as such, they are incompatible with the high standards of animal welfare that we strive for here in Wales.

The Bill also contains provisions to amend the Forestry Act 1967, enabling Natural Resources Wales to add conditions to amend, suspend or revoke felling licences, to prevent felling that would contradict other environmental legislation. This supports NRW in their essential work of managing our land and natural resources in a sustainable manner. I also want to take this opportunity to remind Members and their constituents that there is still an opportunity to help shape the proposed sustainable farming scheme. I encourage farmers to complete our co-designed survey, which is open until the end of October. This is a vital piece of work to ensure the scheme truly supports the agricultural sector in Wales.

Finally, Llywydd, I want to thank everyone who has given their time to work with us so far, whether it's one of the thousands of farmers who responded to our three consultations, those who worked with us through our first phase of co-design, or those who have kindly showed me around their farms and discussed their views and shared their expertise with me. I know farmers are facing many challenges, from climate change to new trade deals to increasing input costs brought about by the war in Ukraine. I also recognise they face some uncertainty around our proposals, especially around the payment rates attached to the proposed sustainable farming scheme. I've always called on the UK Government to ensure full replacement funding is provided to the sector, as was promised. This fundamental principle is reflected in the analysis that accompanies the Bill. This is a Bill that not only impacts on the agricultural sector but the whole of our great nation, from the food we eat to how it's been grown, harvested, stored and prepared for sale. For the first time, we have the chance to build a system of support and legislation that works for our farmers, our sector, our land and our people. Diolch.