Extract from Wales Assembly Questions to the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs - Jan 23

Thursday, 24 January 2019 07:05

Llyr Gruffydd AM: We had a ministerial statement from you yesterday, of course, about your preparations for the possibility of crashing out of the EU without a deal and the adverse impact that would have on agriculture and other sectors in Wales. In that statement, you said, and I quote, that you're 'committed to working with key sectors to design support mechanisms around...Request free trial

Llyr Gruffydd AM: We had a ministerial statement from you yesterday, of course, about your preparations for the possibility of crashing out of the EU without a deal and the adverse impact that would have on agriculture and other sectors in Wales. In that statement, you said, and I quote, that you're

'committed to working with key sectors to design support mechanisms around these serious challenges'.

Yet today, we see reports that both NFU Cymru and the Farmers Union of Wales have raised concerns about being excluded from your 'no deal' Brexit planning process. Their only involvement so far has been through a single, solitary round-table meeting that was only held last week. Clearly, time is running out, Minister, so surely your Welsh Government contingency planning group should include industry representatives, as happened in the past, of course, during the foot and mouth outbreaks in 2001 and 2007. So, could you explain to us what role those key stakeholders will play in your 'no deal' deliberations over the coming weeks? Because it is only weeks that we have left.

Lesley Griffiths AM: Both the NFU and FUW, as you say, sit on the stakeholder group. We had a very long and detailed presentation around 'no deal' scenario planning last week. I also have, from within that group—and I don't know if NFU and FUW are on that particular sub-group—a scenario-planning sub-group, which has looked in detail at all the scenarios that could come forward as we leave the EU. That group has been sitting, probably, for about two and a half years. They came forward with a very detailed report. Both the NFU and FUW meet with me regularly. I've seen them both this week. I know that officials are engaging with them around 'no deal'. So, I do—. Obviously, as we up the preparedness around 'no deal', which we certainly have over the last few weeks, when it's become much more of a possibility, I'm sure that engagement will increase also.