Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:00 pm on 31 January 2023.
Thank you, Trefnydd. You won't be surprised to know that I am focusing on our food and vegetable supplies. I'm acutely aware that only twice in the last three months have I been able to obtain the boxes of fruit and vegetables that I want to give to our local food bank. That reflects the lack of affordable food that is reaching the wholesale market, on which all the independent retailers, corner shops, convenience stores and a lot of the hospitality sector rely on. I appreciate that the supermarkets have their own networks. Next to none of the food coming into the wholesale market is grown in Wales. Now, I fully appreciate the work that you, Minister, have done as the Minister for rural affairs to try and expand the horticulture sector in Wales, but it really isn't enough. And given the significant loss of public money to the foundational economy, and the major implications it has for our ambitious universal free school meals programme, with a third of a child's meal needing to be vegetables and fruit to enable them to grow and learn, in light of these budgetary and policy implications for all your Ministers on the front benches, with the exception of the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution, how does the Government plan to address this strategically significant issue?