, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
So, we've always had a statutory duty. Welsh Ministers have always had a statutory duty in relation to the activities of local authorities and smallholdings. This is something I've specifically asked this new entrants working group to have a look at. It's not…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
The winter fair, yes. That's a week on Monday. We're having the first meeting, so it will be really interesting to see what ideas they come forward with, but I do think this is a specific area. And going back to the group I met with last week, they've got…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
It's going to meet before Christmas. [Interruption.] Oh, we did have the first meeting at the royal Welsh. Sorry, yes.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Yes, absolutely. We've set up a new entrants working group to explore the best way of providing support for new entrants. I think you're quite right; it's something I think Llyr and I worked on back in 2016. If we're going to have a vibrant agricultural…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
So, we've got the framework, and the animal health framework was the first framework that we actually fully developed after we left the European Union, and, obviously, all four UK Ministers agreed that. So, I think that framework probably would cover what the…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Yes, definitely.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Yes, that will be covered in the sustainable farming scheme.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Well, it's one of the 10 outcomes for the sustainable farming scheme—animal health and welfare—and that's obviously something that we're looking at as we develop the scheme. It's one of the purposes for which support can be provided through our power to…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Well, again, there's significant work done around food security and agriculture—being obviously very inextricably linked together. Obviously, international trade has an impact. I thought that George Eustice's comments were extraordinary this week, and I had…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Well, both food security and food sovereignty can be tackled under the Bill, as highlighted by the first SLM objective. As I say, there's no hierarchy, but it is the first one and it absolutely focuses on the production of food and other goods in a…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Obviously, the SLM report will cover far more detail.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Yes, currently. I think that's the best thing—
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
So, the impact reports focus specifically on all support provided under the power to provide support, and that will obviously then inform the sustainable land management report. I think the impact report really is an essential mechanism, going forward, to…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Yes, absolutely. We've done that already. We've also looked at Farming Connect and how it can be—what's the word I'm trying to think of—streamlined, maybe, or maybe that's not the right word, in relation to the sustainable farming scheme, going forward. But…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
So, at the moment, we haven't got any specific proposals on supporting third-party schemes, but we need that flexibility, obviously, going forward, if a scheme came forward that would support the sustainable land management objectives that we've set out. But…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Well, I suppose the focus for that is within the sustainable farming scheme. I hear what you're saying about the Bill, but I think the focus for innovation—
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Yes.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
So, my response to that would be that this is an agricultural Bill, and obviously, there are felling licences incorporated in this Bill, but that is the only part, really, of forestry. So, I suppose the short answer is that this is an agricultural Bill; the…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
That's it.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Well, I think that that is absolutely a fair point that has been raised. I have been very clear that the one thing that we want to do, or don't want to do, I should say, is divert funding away from farmers. So, I think that that is really important, and…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
I'm not sure how they've come to that conclusion when we're still in the process of co-designing the scheme. Until I know the final outcome of the scheme—and that will obviously be out to consultation again next year—I don't think I'm in a position to answer…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Yes.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
I suppose I've just contradicted myself, because I gave an example before about restoration of a peat bog, when I said it could have a negative effect in a way that you wouldn't want to. So, I do take that point.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
It's about a whole-farm approach, isn't it? Actions that are being taken under any of the objectives would—. If there's a climate change action, for instance, surely that would obviously help support nature—it would have a direct effect on nature recovery. I…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
I would say the list isn't exhaustive. We've referred to the list already, under section 8 of the Bill. It can be amended, things can be removed, things can be added. By way of regulations, we are able to do that. So, I absolutely agree with that—it's not an…
