Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:32 pm on 7 February 2023.
Thank you. I think 2 Sisters Poultry Ltd are maintaining it's a meaningful consultation and no decision has been made. But, I think you are quite right—we do need, obviously, to prepare for the worst. As I say, we had no prior knowledge of that. I think it would have been helpful had we have had some prior knowledge. We worked very closely with that plant, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic; you'll remember it did have an outbreak, and we worked very closely with them. We have had a relationship with them, so I think it was disappointing that they didn't contact us ahead of the announcement.
As you know—and you're absolutely a part of the discussions—we are all working in partnership together. On the day of the announcement, both I and the Minister for Economy met with the leader of Ynys Môn county council. Then there were further discussions. The First Minister himself met with the authority on the following morning, and, then, I know you met with the Minister for Economy last Tuesday, and, obviously, the taskforce has now been set up. It was held for the first time on 3 February, when all the partners that you referred to were there, along with the trade union and the Department for Work and Pensions. And I think it is absolutely right that—. This is another example, isn't it, of where Brexit, inflation and the energy crisis are having an absolute detrimental effect on all of our communities, creating that perfect storm that we really don't want to see. But, these are real people who are being affected by this, so we are, once again, urging the UK Government to act quickly to support Welsh businesses, and, as a Government, we will continue to do all we can.