, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inquiry: Green Economy - Skills Providers
Okay.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inquiry: Green Economy - Skills Providers
Okay, thank you. So, on the point then of that terminology around green jobs or green economy, green opportunities, has anybody got another potential descriptive word to call it? I know, Matt, you said about 'new' jobs. Is there something else that can be…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inquiry: Green Economy - Skills Providers
It’s interesting, because, Matt, your point there about putting the ‘green’ tag on it sometimes leads to a bit of uncertainty—all the data shows that the younger generation are more in tune with climate change and all the potential issues around that than…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inquiry: Green Economy - Skills Providers
Okay, thank you. Jemma.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Inquiry: Green Economy - Skills Providers
Diolch, Cadeirydd. Good afternoon, panel. Representing a constituency in rural west Wales, we see the change in demographics with young people leaving and the older generation there. And in terms of green skills and the opportunities around, for example, the…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Sustainable Farming Scheme - External views
Brilliant. Thank you very much. Thank you, Chair.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Sustainable Farming Scheme - External views
That's really helpful. And then just going back to your initial point around the broader political ask that you mentioned, I take from that then that it's right that we look at the definition of sustainability not just being sustainability in terms of…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Sustainable Farming Scheme - External views
Thanks, Chair. It's really refreshing hearing this panel, actually, because as someone who comes from an agricultural background—touching on a previous point of Jenny's questions around reducing emissions technology—I don't think the SFS, in its current…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Sustainable Farming Scheme - External views
Thank you, James. Thank you, Chair.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Sustainable Farming Scheme - External views
And are there better ways, potentially, of delivering carbon sequestration than just tree planting, or is it a suite of measures that is required?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Sustainable Farming Scheme - External views
On that point there where you said 'deliver that outcome', this is something that I've been trying to rationalise in my head. The outcome is what? Delivering tree planting, carbon sequestration, increasing canopy cover—what is the outcome that is trying to be…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Sustainable Farming Scheme - Environmental organisations
Okay. Thank you, Chair.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Sustainable Farming Scheme - Environmental organisations
Yes. Thank you very much, Chair. I appreciate it. Just on the tree planting policy—and you're right, there's a uniformity in agreement that trees are of benefit. Have Welsh Government lost the argument with the sector on this due to just their insistence on…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Sustainable Farming Scheme - Environmental organisations
Thanks, Andrew. Thank you, Chair.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Sustainable Farming Scheme - Environmental organisations
So, there's an agreement there of potentially reducing the 17, or remanaging, reframing, restructuring the 17 to make the scheme more attractive, for farmers to go, 'Ah, actually, that is something that I can apply and therefore deliver the environmental…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Sustainable Farming Scheme - Environmental organisations
Thank you. It was just to develop the thoughts around the optional collaborative layers and, Alex, you've touched on it there in detail, but, Andrew, I want to give you an opportunity to get into the weeds on it: 17 universal actions, where the budget should…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Sustainable Farming Scheme - Environmental organisations
Thanks, Rhys. Rhys, over to you. You mentioned the universal and optional collaborative tiers in your previous answers, and a bit more depth on that would be appreciated.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Sustainable Farming Scheme - Environmental organisations
On the phasing out of BPS, are you content with what is currently being proposed by the Welsh Government in that, or is there another way that NFFN would envisage that being done?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Sustainable Farming Scheme - Environmental organisations
Thanks, Rhys. You touched on there both the universal actions and the optional and collaborative tiers, and I was wondering if I could delve into that in a little bit more depth. You mentioned there the attractiveness financially of farmers having to sign up…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Sustainable Farming Scheme - Environmental organisations
Thank you. Can I have your thoughts, please, Rhys Evans?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Sustainable Farming Scheme - Environmental organisations
I'll leave it there on the organic talk, so that I don't take away from Jenny's line of questioning later on. Rhys Owen, I was just wondering if you could outline your thoughts around the payment methodology.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Sustainable Farming Scheme - Environmental organisations
Just a wider question, then. I know Jenny's going to come on to organic farming later, so I won't tread into her theme of questioning, but why do you think that that's been the case around organics—the ending of Glastir Organic, the nonfulfillment or the…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Sustainable Farming Scheme - Environmental organisations
That's helpful. Andrew, on that. I know the social value was mentioned by Alex there as well, and I'm not sure if you could touch on that as well in your thoughts around the payment methodology.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Sustainable Farming Scheme - Environmental organisations
Well, there's no budget attached to it.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Sustainable Farming Scheme - Environmental organisations
Diolch, Cadeirydd. Good morning, panel. Thanks very much for joining us. It feels like it's been a never-ending discussion around the sustainable farming scheme and ensuring it's right, and it's right for farmers and right for the environment as well, and I…
