The next item is a statement by the Minister for rural affairs on the Agriculture (Wales) Bill, and I call on the Minister to make the statement—Lesley Griffiths.

Diolch, Llywydd. Today, I am very pleased to introduce the Agriculture (Wales) Bill, together with its supporting documentation. The Bill is the result of years of policy work, co-design, consultation and stakeholder engagement. The result is an ambitious and transformational piece of legislation that reforms decades of EU farming support, heralding a significant change in how we support the agricultural sector here in Wales. It is the first Welsh agricultural Bill, the first time the Welsh Government has had the opportunity to bring legislation before the Senedd to legislate for our agricultural sector, and significantly, the Bill contains a modern and comprehensive definition of agriculture, reflecting agriculture in the twenty-first century.

As I have stated many times, I am immensely proud of the agricultural sector in Wales. This is the first made-in-Wales policy framework that recognises complementary objectives of supporting farmers to produce food sustainably, alongside taking action to respond to the climate and nature emergencies, contributing to thriving rural communities and keeping farmers on the land.

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.

I would like to begin by thanking the Minister for giving me advance sight of both her statement and the Agriculture (Wales) Bill, especially as she's had a very busy afternoon in the Chamber.

It is no understatement to say that this 45-page document, accompanied by the 475-page memorandum, represents the largest and most significant overhaul in agricultural policy since the birth of this institution. Having left the European Union, this is the first opportunity to have a Welsh born, Welsh bred agriculture Bill, a dedicated piece of legislation that seeks to reflect the unique nature of the industry. The last three years have played witness to a whole host of geopolitical events, from a global pandemic to the illegal invasion of Ukraine. Consistent throughout each of these incidents was the disruption caused to global supply chains. We must look to take the necessary action to protect, promote and provide for Welsh farmers, the agricultural industry, our rural communities and our environment right across Wales. We need to offer the industry stability and growth and take the right decision to put food security and sustainability at the heart of this Government's agenda.

As you highlighted in your statement, Minister, a key component within this framework legislation is the development of sustainable land management. Now, I am pleased to note that the objectives of the sustainable land management framework have moved away from framing sustainability within the narrow confines of the environmental debate alone, and, in fact, I welcome a renewed focus on the value and production of food, as per objective 1 within the SLM framework. This objective had not existed in previous iterations of this document, so this is a positive step in the right direction, and I hope it reflects an open and co-operative attitude to how this document will progress over the next several months. These objectives also coincide well with the objectives of Peter Fox's food Bill.

Despite this, I am disappointed that the remaining three objectives fail to recognise the broader economic importance of Welsh farming, particularly of our family-run farms. Indeed, Minister, you and I have had several discussions about the importance of the broader economic, social and cultural importance of Welsh farming, as the economic contribution of the individual farmer goes far beyond the farm gate. So, when we talk about Welsh farming as an industry, what we have is a community that contributes roughly £6 billion to Wales's economy, an industry that employs 17 per cent of this nation's total workforce. Yet, despite this, your four SLM objectives at present fail to recognise the wider economic importance of the industry. Given this, I'd be grateful to learn if the Minister agrees with me that equal emphasis should be placed on the delivery of economic, environmental, social and cultural SLM outcomes. 

A holistic approach is key to the implementation of this agenda, but it does have to be sustained throughout the entire document. Unfortunately, for parts of this legislation, that isn't necessarily the case. As I've already detailed, the sustainable land management objectives state clearly their commitment to conserving and enhancing cultural resources, particularly in an attempt to sustain the Welsh language and promote and facilitate its use—fantastic—yet, in chapter 1 of this legislative document, there appears to be no reference to the Welsh language within the scope of your 11 key purposes, despite the reference to other key SLM objectives, such as food production, climate change and conservation of ecosystems. Given this, how do you intend to conserve and grow the Welsh language within the powers laid out in today's agriculture Bill? 

Let's make no mistake: this is an ambitious legislative framework, which seeks to support a post-EU agricultural industry that is fit for the twenty-first century. 'Protect, promote and provide' are the three key markers that I will use to measure the value and suitability of the Bill and what it delivers. In the words of the FUW, Minister, 'We're halfway there', and, as we scrutinise and amend this legislation in the coming months, I look forward to playing a positive role in contributing to its evolution to secure the best possible deal for Welsh farmers, the industry and our countryside. Diolch, Llywydd.

Thank you very much. I know you will absolutely play your part in taking this Bill forward. As I said, it's just the start of probably nearly a year process of taking the Bill through the Senedd, and I'm grateful for your supportive comments and the discussions that we've had previously.

I think it is fair to say that we've had three consultations going back to—I'm trying to think now—probably 2017, 2018. I'm not sure I agree with you around food production, because I was very keen, as were the farming unions and many farmers I met with, to see the word 'food' there throughout. We did have it right in the first consultation, in 'Brexit and our land', and I've been really pleased to build up on that. One of the issues was around did food have—could it be a market? Because it's got a market, then it couldn't be a part of the Bill in the way that was wanted, but I think officials have worked really, really hard to ensure that sustainable food production is part of sustainable land management and we have the Bill now in the form it currently is. So, I think it's fair to say that food has been there throughout it all.

Certainly, the issues around family farms—and you've raised this with me, as have Plaid Cymru, in the discussions we've had since the co-operation agreement, and I've said all along that if this and the scheme didn't work for farmers then it wouldn't work for anybody, would it? It's really important that it does. I did see the FUW's press release, but they've played a big part as well in helping me and officials with this Bill, as have the other farming unions. 

I think you're right about the challenges that we face. When I think back to—. It has literally taken years to do this Bill, and I've been very fortunate to be there from the beginning, and when you look at the challenges that have come along: we've had a drought and then we had—. We had leaving the European Union, and then we've had the Ukraine war, we've had the pandemic—it's just been one challenge after the other and, right throughout that time, our farmers have been there making sure we've got food on our plates. So, I think it's really important that we help them with the challenges.

I think one of the issues—. We've found ourselves really in a position where we've had five years of confusion since we've left the European Union, and I think that has impacted greatly on our farm businesses. You mentioned stability and growth, and those are the two things that I really want to give the sector, and it is hard when you have all these challenges. I appreciate—and I made reference to it in my opening remarks—I appreciate that this is providing uncertainty, and it’s really important that we talk through this Bill with our farmers, and I am really grateful to so many of them for helping me with this. There are also opportunities, and I think that's what I want to come out of this Bill. Those opportunities are there too, and they need to be grasped.

In relation to the SLM objectives, I think, for me, sustainable land management incorporates the environmental, economic and social contribution of farmers to society in Wales. It's an internationally recognised concept and it’s something that we’ve built on. It's about encouraging the use of our land and our resources in a way that meets—. You need to balance, don't you, the current needs now and the future generations who are going to come behind. So, I do think it's there.

I’ve been working with Plaid Cymru, as part of the co-operation agreement, around the Welsh language, and I mentioned that we will be bringing forward further amendments at Stage 1.

I thank the Minister for the statement. We live in an unprecedented time. The agriculture sector and the communities and the families associated with the sector are under extreme pressure and, more than anything else, they're looking for stability, while, at the same time, broader society is calling out for food security and affordability. The war in Ukraine, Brexit and COVID-19 have highlighted the fragility of the food supply chain. At the same time, the Government has set notable targets to ensure the growth of the Welsh language, and we all know that the agricultural sector is vital to sustaining the language and culture. And above all we have a deadly climate emergency, which is casting a shadow over everything. It's not an easy task therefore to maintain a balance between the different elements, but that's what we have to try to do. It's no overstatement, therefore, to say that the Bill that will be introduced will be a historical turning point, which will set the tone for agriculture in Wales for generations to come.

I was very concerned during the previous discussions that the Bill would not recognise the role of farmers in food production. After all, that's why farmers farm—they produce food for the rest of us so that we can be out working and don't have to be working the land. And I thank them for that, for their work. I therefore welcome that the encouragement of food production is a specific outcome in the support aims, and I will be looking in particular during the scrutiny of the Bill at how the Government intends to assess the security of our food supply. But I will be focusing my scrutiny on the first two sections. Those are the sections that set the foundations, after all. The Bill will succeed or fail depending on the content of those sections.

I welcome what the Minister has said about the further work that's been done with Plaid Cymru, and I look forward to seeing the further amendments that will be published.

Now, the explanatory memorandum says, in part 1, that it places a duty on Welsh Ministers to exercise certain functions in the way that they consider best contributes to the delivery of the sustainable land management objectives, to the extent that that is consistent with exercising that function appropriately. The question for us, therefore, is whether this gives too much power to the Minister. How will the Minister at the time determine what best contributes to the delivery of the SLM objectives? What will be the yardstick? It mentions three sustainability pillars—economic, social and environmental—therefore the role for us in scrutinising is to ensure that that balance is sustained and that one element doesn't outweigh the other elements. How does the Minister therefore propose that that will be done effectively? So, for example, the explanatory memorandum says that:

'Food production is a vital component of SLM, as part of the production of goods to meet human needs. A sustainable approach makes it possible for farms to produce positive environmental and social outcomes'.

Implicit in this statement is the emphasis placed on environmental needs, not necessarily food production needs. Is the balance right, therefore? That's the question for us as we start on our scrutiny, because there is a weighing scale here, isn't there? The objective is to ensure that it is balanced between the needs of food production and everything associated with that, economically and socially, and environmental needs. What assurance can the Minister give us that the Bill as introduced will strike the right balance on that scale?

The funding section is open-ended. It's a vital section, but there is very little meat on the bones. The work on that will happen in due course, of course, as regulations are laid. Therefore, I'd like to ask the Minister when she foresees that the details on funding and payments will be available to us in the Senedd and to the agricultural sector. And what assurance can she give us that we as a Senedd will have an opportunity to scrutinise those regulations in full when the time comes?

And to close, suffice to say that agriculture is of vital important to Wales, to our history, identity, language, economy and future. This Bill will mean either that we see the continuation of the small family farm in Wales or we see agriculture in Wales following the same path as it has in so many other countries, leading to large farms and intensive farming. The risk is high, therefore, and we have to ensure that the future of family farming in Wales continues for future generations, while these farms play their role fully in the battle against climate change. I greatly hope that this will be the destination of this journey, and I look forward to playing my part in that process.

Diolch, and again I look forward to working with you closely taking this Bill forward.

I'm going to start with your last bit around funding. You asked when you'll be able to scrutinise the funding elements of it. We're doing some economic analysis and modelling. That will be done for the rest of the course of this year and probably into early next year, so I would imagine it will be around spring of next year. There is huge uncertainty around funding, as you know. We'd been promised that we wouldn't lose a penny from the UK Government; we've seen that's not the case. But I just wish we could get some certainty from the UK Government. I go back to what Sam Kurtz was asking around stability and growth. It's really hard to offer stability. I've done my very best with keeping the BPS going, for instance, for a few more years than other parts of the UK were looking at, but it is very difficult to give that stability that I really would like to give, without knowing. And you will have seen the Scottish Government's announcements this week around the cutting of their agricultural Bill. It's not, I'm sure, where they would want to be; it's not where anybody would want to be. But, unfortunately, because of the lack of confirmation around the agricultural funding from the UK Government, it is very difficult to do that, but I hope that answers your question.

I think one of the things I've been really keen to avoid, and this came about early, at the start of the policy work around this piece of legislation, when I went to New Zealand, to talk to farmers there who remembered that cliff edge they had in 1984 when they stopped their basic payment scheme, and you saw the small farms that were just absolutely swallowed up by the large farms, and they lost that feeling of community, and of course they don't have the language to preserve that we do here in Wales. So, I was very clear right from the start that we had to protect those small family farms and not allow them to be swallowed up so that they lost that feel of community, and they saw rugby clubs disappearing because the farms weren't there to sustain them. So, that was very much part of early thinking in relation to the Bill.

I hear what you're saying about there being too broad powers, and there probably isn't a perfect answer I can give you, but it is about that balance. I think we need to have that flexibility to support the sector in the way that we do with stable policies, and I think the way to do that is the way that we've set out. The section you refer to around sustainable land management outcomes, they're referred to as purposes within the Bill and they absolutely reflect the SLM outcomes that support may be given for, and there's a list of support that can be provided. That's financial or otherwise, really, and that's what this Bill will enable Ministers to do, to provide that support for agriculture and ancillary activities in a way that that will then contribute to the sustainable land management objectives.

Of course, our main delivery mechanism will be the sustainable farming scheme. That's why it's really so important. I plugged it again today. Please make sure that as many people—constituents and farmers—please, help us with that co-design, because it needs to work for them.

I should say the list of purposes within the Bill seeks to meet the requirement that we are looking for, but the list of purposes isn't exhaustive. So, there's room for more there. I think that's everything.

Minister, can I just say 'congratulations', not just to you, but to all those who have helped bring it to this stage? This is a significant moment and, as a member of the Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee and the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee as well, we're looking forward to getting our teeth into a piece of legislation here in Wales, made in Wales, and really wrestling with this. And it's been a long journey to get here, and your doggedness is to be admired.

Can I just turn, Minister, because these things don't stand in isolation of the wider context of legislation and policy, both here and across the UK as well, quite interestingly? So, in response to the launch of the Welsh agricultural Bill, RSPB Cymru said that RSPB Cymru welcomes the new Welsh agriculture Bill, which will work for people, nature and climate. It'll help shape Welsh farming and the fate of Wales's wildlife for generations to come. They believe this is a big opportunity for Wales to secure a nature-positive future. There has been a real contrasting response this week in England. RSPB England responded to the scrapping of similar proposals in England, but also the environmental protections that were announced in the mini budget, saying,

'Make no mistake, we are angry. This Government has today launched an attack on nature. We don't use the words that follow lightly. We are entering uncharted territory.'

The reason this is important is because they turn to the issue of the EU retained legislation that is proposed and the intention there that they perceive of a levelling down, not just in England, but in Wales as well. Minister, I wonder if you could take those concerns on board. Should we be worried? Are RSPB rightly concerned that there may be—may be—an intent here for this bonfire of deregulation in England to extend that across Wales as well?

So, I haven't seen the detail of the announcement that came from DEFRA yesterday. I can't say I was surprised. Obviously, there has been a new Secretary of State; I think we can see a change in direction also with the Liz Truss Government. I think it's fair to say—I don't think I'm being unfair here—that they were the first out of the trap, really, with their ELMs and they were having some difficulty bringing them forward. So, I hear what environmental organisations are saying, and anything that takes away or detracts from the nature and climate emergencies that we're all facing is obviously an area of concern.

I do look forward to having a conversation. This legislation is Wales specific, made in Wales, bespoke for Wales and right for us. What England do is what England do, but of course I take a keen interest in what England are doing, and you know that we met regularly as four agricultural Ministers, and we've all shared the legislation we were bringing forward following our leaving the European Union. And so it does concern me, what I'm reading, but as I said I haven't the detail. Unfortunately, I've tried very hard to meet the new Secretary of State, but we've had a couple of cancelled meetings. But we do have a quadrilateral coming up next month and I look forward to hearing a little bit more detail around that.

Could I just say as well that I didn't answer Mabon—I knew I'd missed something out—on food security and food affordability? Of course, those two things—. Food security is writ large in the Bill and it's an area where we need to, again, as Huw Irranca-Davies was saying, work at a UK level on food security because it's such an integrated system. People are worried about food security, and I hope that this will reassure them, and of course affordability now, with the cost-of-living crisis. Again, going back to DEFRA, there was a bit of shrugging of the shoulders around the price of food going up. Why shouldn't farmers get the correct price for their food? And it was felt that maybe we should be looking at cheaper food. Well, for me, that's not the issue. I appreciate that people are going to the supermarket and looking for cheaper food because we're in a cost-of-living crisis, but for me it's really important that farmers get a fair price because, of course, they've got mortgages and they need to buy food and other things for their families too. So, I think, on food security, we've taken our time around food security in this, because again going back to the challenges that we face, the different challenges, it has brought food security right to the fore.

It's really positive to see this legislation coming forward. It's a bit overdue, but I'm glad to see it's coming forward. One part of the Bill is about animal welfare, and in the explanatory memorandum points 7.514 to 7.531 set out actions and targets for the Welsh Government regarding what the Bill will do around TB, sheep scab, antimicrobial resistance, et cetera. Do you think, Minister, that the Bill goes far enough to actually help end TB in Wales, to end sheep scab in Wales and put that regulatory framework in place to help us get the highest animal welfare standards in the country?

Thank you. So, I think this is a framework Bill and I think it certainly supports those. Obviously, we’ve got specific schemes and initiatives around ending sheep scab and TB. I’m pleased with the progress we’re making on TB, but of course, we have those sort of hotspots that we really need to get to grips with, and I was very pleased we had the event at the Pembrokeshire show—which I think Sam chaired—around that, because that’s clearly an area of concern in Pembrokeshire. And sheep scab, again, is something that I think we need to work very closely with the industry to eradicate, and I think the industry have shown some real leadership in relation to sheep scab and we will continue to work there.

So, as I said in my answer to Mabon, the powers are very broad, but I think they’re there to help support other schemes and initiatives as well.

I’d like to start by welcoming this statement and the fact that Wales is the first country in the UK to introduce a complete ban on snares and glue traps. I’m also pleased to see the introduction of an objective to promote public access to the countryside. Will the Minister please confirm for me that compliance with right of way maintenance will be a core part of the scheme, and to set out how the scheme will help encourage engagement with public rights of way officers and ramblers, who help maintain them? Thank you.

Thank you and thank you for your comments. Access to the countryside has just come back into my portfolio. It was with me previously, and it’s an area that I’m looking forward to having some discussions on, to see how again we can—. Going back to what James Evans was saying, this Bill will have the powers to help us with that, so those are conversations that I haven’t had as yet, but I will have as we take the Bill forward.

Good afternoon again, Minister. Three very quick questions from me: we welcome this Bill and I look forward to working across parties in order to see this Bill go through. The first question is really around food production. Is it now defined as a public good for farmers, and will they receive that basic payment?

The second issue is with regard to the 10 per cent tree cover. Would you consider including hedgerows within that 10 per cent tree cover? I know it’s been a particular issue.

And finally, nitrate vulnerable zones: a really important issue and one that I know is on the lips of almost every farmer that I speak to. Could you explain how water pollution regulations will sit in relation to the agriculture Bill as set out today?

Finally, I do thank you for your statement. I look forward to further opportunities to work with you and across the Siambr as well to create the best system for our farmers, which rewards farmers for public goods and ensures an economically viable future for this sector. Diolch yn fawr iawn.

Thank you much and I look forward to working with you as well, across the Chamber, on this Bill. I think it’s really important that we all do work together, because none of us have all the ideas, so it’s great when we can come together and work for a common aim.

In relation to food production, I’ll go back to what I was saying before, and the phrase I was trying to think of was 'public good'. So, that was one of the difficulties, that because food has a market, it couldn’t be classed as a public good, so the way we’ve got around it is making sure that that food production is sustainable, and that will be part of the scheme.

We’re looking at hedgerows, so hedges and edges; we’re certainly looking at including those in the 10 per cent cover, along with what’s already there, as well as new hedges and edges.

I hate hearing the word 'NVZ'. They are no longer. We’ve got the agricultural pollution regulations and, obviously, they are a very important part of the work that we do with the agricultural sector. As you know, we’re looking at how we deploy those regulations now as part of the co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru. I think it’s really important that we act now, because we are still having a number of substantive agricultural pollution incidents every week, which is not what any of us would want to see.

So, again, it’s about making sure that we look at all the schemes that we have in relation to agriculture and making sure that the Bill—as a framework Bill, and then hopefully it will become an Act—ensures that we can support the agricultural sector in the way we would want to.

Joyce Watson, finally.

Diolch, Llywydd, and I’m going to speak to welcome the inclusion of the ban on snares and glue traps, and the fact that Wales will be the very first nation to completely ban them. As you know, I've spoken on this many times. I'm really pleased, Minister, that you have listened to the wider audience here that has maintained that this is inhumane and arrived at the same decision yourself that it's unnecessary and it's completely incompatible with high standards of animal welfare. I will, of course, mention many other things as the Bill goes through, but, for now, I just want to thank you for putting that there. Thank you.

I thank Joyce Watson for those comments. This is a culmination of years of work. I don't think we should underestimate the number of years we've tried to work with snare users to reduce harm and improve welfare. But, as you say, snares are indiscriminate with regard to the animals they capture. They can capture badgers, they can capture otters, dogs, cats, and they are inherently inhumane for both the target and the non-target species. So, I do think it is right that we include them in this Bill.

I thank the Minister.