Mark Drakeford said, there is no crisis in the food sector? I doubt he’s bothered on his salary of £147,983
First Minister’s complacency on food security exposed
The Labour Government in Cardiff Bay’s lax attitude towards food security in Wales was laid bare during questioning from the Welsh Conservatives.
Mark Drakeford struggled to justify previous comments he made when he said “there is no crisis in the food sector” after the Governor of the Bank of England said families will face apocalyptic food price rises due to supply chain problems caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In order to help Wales’ food producing sector, Leader of the Opposition Andrew RT Davies MS called on Drakeford to commit to bringing forward Basic Payment Scheme cash for farmers to July, as the Conservative Government has in England, possible due to Brexit.
While he did not commit to the call, he said the Welsh Conservative proposal would be considered.
But Davies also highlighted the idea of a food summit – where producers, processors, and retailers are brought together to map a way forward for the supply of food in Wales – which Labour’s Rural Affairs Minister dismissed only hours after the First Minister said she’d explore it back in March.
Commenting afterwards, Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies MS said:
“Whilst I am pleased that the First Minister did not explicitly rule out bringing forward government payments to farmers – which leaving the EU allows us to do – I cannot claim to have much faith in his words after the food summit that was supposed to be considered when I first mentioned this issue was dismissed within 24 hours.
“Wales could have had a head start on these issues if they’d listened and brought together farmers, processors, and retailers or accepted that there was a crisis brewing in the sector but, as usual, the First Minister thinks he knows better than everyone else.
“It is clear that despite their best efforts to associate anybody but themselves with the rising cost-of-living, the Labour Government in Cardiff Bay continue to be commentators rather than enablers.
“Instead of moaning about the actions of other governments, Mark Drakeford and his Labour ministers should use the powers at their disposal to prevent high food prices in Wales instead of complaining they have to work too hard and campaign for more politicians.”
