, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Absolutely.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
That was the thinking behind the three months, but as James said, that can be assessed. You need to have that—
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
You gave some examples of what we mean in relation to exceptional market conditions. I suppose in relation to endemic diseases, we are already obligated, as you know, by the Animal Health Act 1981, to pay compensation for animals slaughtered, for instance, to…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
I've no plans to introduce a lump sum to assist with retirement from the industry. I think what this Bill does is give Welsh Ministers powers to modify the basic payment scheme, which is obviously a very broad and very unlimited power. We could look at it as…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
We did consider the introduction of a sunset provision into the Bill, but I think we decided on balance that the Bill already contains the relevant powers to modify legislation relating to the common agricultural policy. We will exercise those powers when the…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Local authorities and NHS contractors.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Perhaps in the note we could provide that evidence.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
I personally didn't speak to any local health boards. Did you?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
I know two of the local authorities who we took advice from did not use glue traps at all, so I'd be very happy to provide committee with a note in relation to that.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
That's slightly different.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Yes, certainly.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Yes, we did. Some local authorities—
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
I think they haven't been used very often. Certainly in local authorities, they've not been used very often at all.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
I recognise what you're saying about rats. We did hear that when we were taking advice. But, no, I am content that there are enough other mechanisms available. One of the issues or one of the suggestions was around licensing. I've had discussions with DEFRA…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Local authorities are happy with the ban that we're proposing and, obviously, they are probably at the fore—you mentioned hospitals, and schools—in relation to that. I think the evidence was very robust in relation to glue traps—that animal health and welfare…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
No, but, as I say, there's a suite available. So, there's also various non-lethal methods to use to protect ground-nesting birds, such as scaring electric fences. Yes, electric fences.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Yes. We certainly looked, as I say, at curlews, and we had a discussion with NRW around the use of snares to protect curlews from foxes, for instances. What came forward, I think, was that the most efficient method of fox control was rifles, with thermal…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
We looked at a project they'd had up in Scotland to make some assessment. I think about 90 cameras were set out on this project in Scotland. So, we sort of used that, going forward. Was it the Scotland one that found that the biggest destructor of nests was…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
We did some work with—. Was it Curlew Action that we did some work with?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
That Act dealt with increasing penalties for offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. This Bill will create new offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, so I'm content that the punishment for those convicted of using a snare to capture a wild…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Thank you. So, we did look at this possibility when the Bill was being drafted—that we should extend the ban to include sale, possession and manufacture. But, as we all know, an unsophisticated snare can be fashioned with a variety of materials, so it…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Yes, absolutely. There is a suite of tools available for that.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
I suppose my response would be that we prefer to see a holistic approach to protecting animals—nesters, for instance—and that permitted means of killing is used only as a last resort. We've had a lot of conversations around this, going forward. We've got our…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Yes. I don't think that things have moved on enough. There's no evidence that's been presented to me and, I don't think, to officials. I'd just go back to what I said: it's identical in every way.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
We deliberately didn't define snares in the Bill, as the intent is a blanket ban on any device that fits the description of a snare or of a cable restraint. I think if we'd have defined snares, that could have created a loophole to avoid the ban, so we…
