, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
That's the legal view. I think probably if it's different, Chair, we could send a note after consideration.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
I'm going to look to a lawyer, I think, for that.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
Sorry, could you repeat that, Sarah?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
Yes, absolutely. And one of the things that the farmers have been telling us is that we mustn't make it more bureaucratic; it's really important that we make it as simple as possible. So, as I said, I think some of this data will already be collected, and…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
In advance of any data being collected, we would publish our intent on the type that we needed to be collected and the purpose, why it should be collected, how it will be collected, and, I think, how it will be used—I think it's really important that we set…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
Good morning.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
I think it's really important that we have fair access for all types of agricultural tenancy arrangements. We didn't have a huge number of respondents to the White Paper on this issue, and I think the provisions are less relevant to the farm business…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
Thank you. A very important part of the agriculture sector in Wales are the tenant farmers, so I'm really pleased you've been able to get out and meet them. I'm confident the regulation-making provisions, alongside the very careful design of the sustainable…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
No, I don't think it needs to be in the Bill itself, because it's part of the common framework—the agricultural support common framework. We worked very hard, when we left the European Union, on the frameworks. I think my department had the most frameworks of…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
There are mechanisms in place, which we've used very widely, particularly during the pandemic. It was really important. Because the food and the supply chain is so integrated right across the UK, there is that in place. We've got the UK agriculture market…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
We've seen them, haven't we, already in the past few years. The powers I wouldn't intend to use very often, but I think it was really important that they were built into the Bill. If you remember, at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, because of hospitality…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
There certainly won't be a cliff edge. We've made that very clear. There will not be that cliff edge, because I think that would just be a disaster for the sector. So, no—everyone will transition at the same time.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
I suppose this is about futureproofing. We're using those powers to look at what we can do around the scheme. What we really want to do at the moment is prepare our farmers for the sustainable farming scheme. You know the significant work that James and the…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
That's part of the sustainable farming scheme and, as you say, the RDP. We know there is funding going for tree planting, for instance, on land that is owned by somebody in England. We can't stop that if the trees are in Wales. The really important thing—you…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
Again, we're, obviously, bringing forward our own RDP, if you like, schemes and looking at those, but, again, when we don't know what the budgets are, it's really difficult to plan. I tried to give some certainty to farmers in relation to BPS, keeping that…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
So, the budget is obviously a very, very difficult area, and a place where you know I've got grave concern. We were promised not a penny less. That clearly has not happened, and I really am going to push and continue to push for the budget to remain. So…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
Certainly we could look at that, but, as I say, we wouldn't want to be directing it away from the farmers.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
You're right—I think we can help farmers get produce to market better in relation to the future support for the ancillary activities, but those activities have got to absolutely be designed to benefit our farmers. We're not going to divert support away from…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
More but different, I would say—or different but more. [Laughter.] I'm not quite sure. Perhaps I'll pass over to James, actually, Sam.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
Do I have more powers or fewer powers? I'm going to look at Dorian here. I know you sent a note, didn't you, on the powers.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
Morning.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
Unfortunately, I haven't met the new Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary of State. We did have two phone calls in the diary, both of which he pulled, unfortunately. And as I say, the IMG was cancelled, but that was because of the…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
Diolch. So, we have an environment and rural affairs monitoring and modelling programme. That collects data from right across the Welsh landscape from the sector, and that then links any changes to the impacts on a wide range of benefits, and that includes…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
No, probably, at the end of the day, when all of the Acts are in place and the policies there, I think there will be a huge focus on the environment in a way that we haven't seen before. Yes, I do.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 1
So, I think we’ve always said, as you know—you’ll have heard me say it many times before—we meet as four agricultural Ministers regularly. We haven’t met, unfortunately, since the Royal Welsh Show. We were due to meet, I think, during the mourning period. So…
