, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
And this market distortion and implications in terms of the UK context in which we're operating, and beyond, has implications. The question has been asked around a requirement to consult with UK Ministers, but have you considered consultation mechanisms or…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Okay. Obviously, much of this section, I'm reliably informed, mirrors the UK Act.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Yes, because you need to be nimble in order to respond to events.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Yes, because we could see, for example—. I mean, we've seen a huge increase in input costs—what if they were 10 times bigger? Then, obviously, you'd feel that that would qualify here. I suppose the longer it goes on, the less exceptional it is, in a sense…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Diolch. I just wanted to ask a few questions about the third chapter and the intervention in agricultural markets because of exceptional market conditions. You've confirmed previously that that would relate to any large-scale business disruption that is…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Okay, but I would have thought, given where we are in terms of our need to respond to some of the climate challenges and biodiversity challenges, that that kind of innovation would be prominent enough in your thinking around future schemes to actually include…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Yes, but having it in the Bill would guarantee that the scheme would try to address that.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
One other question, just picking up on the earlier discussion about the purposes, there was quite a strong point made about there being nothing much in the Bill around innovation and productivity, and surely that should be something that we would want to…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Could I just, if I may—
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Yes, okay. And there's a whole series of questions we could ask about timber security, I realise that.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Okay. Got you. Right. It was the way I read the Bill. You might need to tweak that to make it clearer—I don't know. We have also heard quite compelling evidence around, of course—. We talk about food security, rightly so. But the point is made—and we are…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Sure. So, you wouldn't be supporting ancillary activities, unless it's agriculture and ancillary activities.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Ah, right. Okay. Yes. So, 'The Welsh Ministers may provide support for or in connection with agriculture in Wales and ancillary activities' It's not, 'and/or'. Is that what you are saying? That's the point that you are making.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
So, we shouldn't look at the meaning of 'ancillary activity' in isolation. Is that what you are saying?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Sure. Okay. We did have evidence from people who were looking at the list of purposes, and then looking at the definition in section 49, or the meaning of, 'ancillary activity'. The question that they were asking was, 'Does this not risk using some of that…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Is that explicit in the Bill, is it? Sorry, I might have—. Or, is that just a policy intent?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
I just want to focus a bit on the ancillary activities and what that really means. How are you going to strike the balance between supporting agriculture and supporting ancillary activities? I don't want to go back to the old pillar 1 and pillar 2 tensions…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Or refining.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
It's very much part of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, you take all of the four pillars together, and it's just sort of not amplified here in the objectives, and I just feel that's—. You know, you mention cherry-picking, and I'm not…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Well, as an objective it could be 'the economic vibrancy' or something.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Agriculture (Wales) Bill: Evidence session 10
Yes, thank you. You just said earlier, Minister, that keeping farmers on the land is the most important thing, and I'm sure a number of us would agree with that. But of course it doesn't say that in the Bill. It talks about climate change, the resilience of…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Introductions, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest
I'm an honorary member of the BVA.
, Plenary
Short Debate: Horse-racing: An economic and sporting asset for Wales
As a Member for North Wales, of course, my first trip racing, as a new convert to the sport, was to where else but Bangor-on-Dee racecourse within my region, to which I was actually invited by the British Horseracing Authority, along with some other Members…
, Plenary
Short Debate: Horse-racing: An economic and sporting asset for Wales
Now, it would be remiss of me not to highlight in this speech today the support that the Welsh Government has provided, of course, to the Welsh racing industry during the period of the pandemic. The shutdown of racing for a number of months, and then…
, Plenary
Short Debate: Horse-racing: An economic and sporting asset for Wales
Well, thank you very much, Llywydd, and I have to say it is a pleasure to bring this short debate before the Senedd today, to take this opportunity to outline and underline the significant contribution that the horse-racing industry makes to Wales not just in…
