, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Thank you, and I'm really sorry you and Coco had to experience that. You're quite right, I think there are things that we can do, but maybe there are extra things as well. The whole point of having this summit was to bring all our partners together, as well…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Thank you. The laws protecting the public from dog attacks are non-devolved. I welcome the news the UK Government are finally taking action. I will host a multi-agency summit on 18 October to establish what additional steps we can take to improve responsible…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Thank you very much. You're quite right to welcome the consensus. I think it's fair to say—I'm looking at Darren Millar now—all business managers were very happy to look at your legislative proposal. I think it was the one we all thought was so topical that…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Yes, absolutely, I commit, as I said in my opening answer. I've written to a variety of Ministers, from Home Office Ministers to DEFRA Ministers, on at least eight occasions. I was looking back at the number of letters. Some weren't even responded to. But…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Yes, you absolutely have my commitment. As you say, I think it's welcome, but it's very belated action now being taken by the UK Government. It was very disappointing; I had a meeting with my DEFRA counterpart the day before the Prime Minister made the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
I have had many discussions with the UK Government and have written to different Ministers on eight occasions seeking action to strengthen non-devolved legislation relating to dangerous dogs. Now this is being progressed, officials are working closely with…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Thank you. As I said in earlier answers on the Habitat scheme, we haven't been able to announce the budget as yet, but I've never said it would be the same as Glastir, because I've never thought I would have the funding. Again, in an earlier answer, you heard…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
The application window for the Habitat Wales scheme opened on 29 September. The scheme offers support for the management of habitat land up to the introduction of the sustainable farming scheme in 2025. I would encourage all eligible farmers in Wales to apply.
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Well, I mentioned in my original answer to Luke Fletcher that, later this month, we'll have our fourth BlasCymru event. Now, that is predominantly to sell Wales to the world, because we do have international buyers coming over, but it's also really important…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Well, I’m not aware of any specific work jointly with the Minister for Economy, but what I certainly do is make sure that those companies are able to access financial expertise and also bespoke expertise. So, we offer a range of programmes. We’ve got the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Thank you. The food and drink industry in Wales continues to grow in scale and reputation. Welsh Government programmes include support for innovation, capital investment, skills development and business growth in Wales, the UK and overseas markets. Later this…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Thank you. You raise a very important point, and the mental health of those involved in the agriculture industry is of great concern to me. And I would strongly encourage anyone suffering with stress or other mental health issues to speak to an expert in this…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Thank you. Over £18 million of basic payment scheme payments have been made to farmers in Pembrokeshire during the past year. This is in addition to our Farming Connect service, which continues to provide crucial support and advice to businesses in the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Thank you. Well, I mentioned our grant schemes that we have in place; I mentioned the extra strand that we've got within Farming Connect. All these things are designed to help our horticulture sector grow, because you're absolutely pushing at an open door…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Thank you. Well, as you know, the horticultural part of the agricultural sector is an area I've been very keen to grow. And we've seen a slight improvement—I think it was 0.1 per cent when I came into portfolio, and that sort of equated to, I think, a quarter…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Thank you. Whilst annual statistics on fruit and vegetable production are not collected, the Welsh Government has continued to provide comprehensive support for growers in Wales. This includes the horticulture development and start-up schemes for farmers…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
So, of course I knew Glastir was ending this year, but what I didn't know was would I have any funding for an agri-environment scheme. I was very keen that we didn't throw the baby out with the bath water, and that all the good we've had from Glastir…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Well, I think it was rushed by—. We had to do something very quickly. I thought that's what people wanted—that's what I was lobbied for. As I say, it only opened for applications on Friday; we've already had over 100, so, clearly, many farmers do want to be…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Well, speaking with my MS hat on, I think that engagement is absolutely taking place. As I said, the Deputy Minister for Social Partnership, who's in her seat and will have heard your comments, is keeping a very close eye on this. But it is absolutely a…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
As I said, this is a local and operational matter for North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority. It's up to them to reach a solution that is sustainable, affordable—it has to be fair to their workforce, it has to be fair to the communities of north Wales. And I…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Well, obviously, this is a time of very tough choices for everybody, but I think this is a local and operational matter for north Wales fire and rescue association, and Welsh Government has no cause to intervene. Currently, I know the Minister does keep a…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Thank you. That's not an issue that's been raised with me before, but I will certainly speak to the chief veterinary officer in relation to that, and also, obviously, with APHA—I meet with the chief executive of APHA very frequently—because if that is indeed…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Thank you. Well, of course, today is World Animal Day. We celebrated it a day early this year here in the Senedd yesterday with an event sponsored by Luke Fletcher. I have committed to looking at microchipping cats, as you know, and whilst we haven't got a…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
Thank you. Our ambition is for all animals in Wales to have a good quality of life. Our priorities for animal welfare are set out in 'Our Animal Welfare Plan for Wales 2021-26'. It includes a timetable for the delivery of key actions against programme for…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd
I think we need to be very clear about what the Habitat scheme is for. Everyone—absolutely everyone—knew that Glastir schemes were coming to an end at the end of this year. I couldn't extend it any more. I extended and extended. It's impossible to extend even…
