Vikki Howells AM:...I recently met with a company called
CEA Research and Development. For those who are unfamiliar
with the concept, 'CEA' stands for 'controlled environment
agriculture', and this is a form of hydroponics that grows crops in
a controlled, engineered environment. CEA Research and Development
have ambitions, in collaboration with the Association for
Vertical Farming, to open a new research and development
facility to carry out R&D of engineering...Request free trial
:...I
recently met with a company called CEA Research and
Development. For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, 'CEA'
stands for 'controlled environment agriculture', and this is a
form of hydroponics that grows crops in a controlled, engineered
environment. CEA Research and Development have ambitions, in
collaboration with the Association for Vertical Farming, to open a new research and
development facility to carry out R&D of engineering systems
for the CEA industry in my constituency. There are numerous
benefits to a CEA: no requirements for pesticide, better use of
land, reduced water consumption, minimising of food miles, and,
of course, insulation from what can be the very unpredictable
Welsh weather. Indeed, crop failure and waste could be
eliminated, and the duration from seed to product could be a
little as a quarter of that under traditional agriculture.
CEA Research and Development said Wales is a perfect
location for this in terms of access to physical resources and,
equally important, first rate academic facilities. I hope the
Welsh Government will give this due consideration as part of the
suite of actions it outlines in its response to the
recommendation, and I look forward to revisiting aspects of this
vitally important topic later in the term...
AM:...The
evidence we took was persuasive. The benefits of precision
agriculture are multiple. We heard from Professor Simon
Blackmore from Harper Adams University about how, from an
environmental point of view, the use of these technologies can
significantly reduce the amount of pesticides and harm to the
environment. So, for example, in his evidence, he told us of
how they are now able to eliminate the use of herbicides and
put chemicals directly onto the leaf of a weed, saving 99.9 per
cent of the chemicals straight away—removing the need for
chemicals and improving the quality of the plant,
improving productivity on farms, and, post Brexit, that's
exactly what we will need to do. But the Welsh
Government—as we heard in the evidence—support offered to farms
is not flexible enough, so Jason Llewellin, a farmer from
Pembrokeshire, told us that he had to have 600 soil tests to be
able to apply precision agriculture to his farm, but only 10 of
them were available under the Government's Farming Connect scheme, and there's no
real route to go on to the next level. Now, the Government just
does not accept that in its response...
(Cabinet Secretary
for Economy and Transport):...Changes to the way
that we work and the implications of automation mean that we
need to rethink our approach to lifelong learning and to
adapt our training and skills provision accordingly. Our
employability plan sets out a range of measures to support
individuals to develop and to adapt their skills to the
changing needs of the labour market. Furthermore, technology
and innovation, including the use of data, will help, as
Members have identified, the Farming industry to modernise and
become more resilient and competitive and address its climate
change and environmental responsibilities.
Precision Farming I don't think should be
considered in isolation; instead, it should be considered as
part of a broader agricultural and land use strategy post
Brexit, and precision agriculture will doubtless help the
sector address climate change and environmental
responsibilities in line with the economic action plan...
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