I would like to add my thanks to the chair, my fellow committee members and those organisations which gave evidence to our inquiry. I would also like to thank the Minister for accepting all but one of the recommendations, in full, or in part.

Like other industries, agriculture is motivated to reduce the negative impact it has on the environment. But as the report set out, doing this successfully in the long term will be a particular challenge.

Carbon emissions from farming are down this year – largely due to the rising input costs – fuel and fertiliser and so on. But for this to be sustainable in the long term, it will need a shift in farm practices.

On this issue, I would want to highlight the excellent work being done by IBERS in Aberystwyth, who are conducting groundbreaking research into new plant varieties.  I am hopeful that research into new feeding regimes will be a major way for agriculture to reduce methane emissions, in particular.

I would stress that, as the majority of Welsh farmland is unsuitable for arable production, addressing the impact of livestock must be a key area of research. I would add to that, with global demand for food is set to increase rapidly in the coming years – the current estimates call for the doubling of food production by 2050 - so getting the maximum productivity out of marginal land will be more important than ever.

On the subject of the management of woodlands, I would be grateful if the Minister will expand on why she is only able to support the recommendation in part. Improving the market for wood products would have substantial knock-on benefits, both for carbon emissions and farm incomes.  As I said earlier, a great deal of this land is not suitable for arable production, so I believe that there is a great deal of untapped potential on Welsh farmland for developing small areas of land for soft as well as hardwood trees – and I would look to Farming Connect as the best vehicle for encouraging this.

This practice, which locks in carbon, is commonplace elsewhere in Europe, and I would say that Wales could stand to benefit substantially from adopting their best practice, but production needs to be met by demand, and I would hope that the Minister could have supported this recommendation more fully for encouraging the use of wood on the commercial level.

And finally, on the issue of renewable and carbon-neutral energy generation that the report touched on, I would ask whether the Minister agrees with me that the situation where many farm businesses have had problems in gaining planning permission for anaerobic digesters is regrettable – when they could play such an important role in reducing carbon emissions.