2. What is the Welsh Government doing to promote food and drink from North Wales? OQ59655

The Welsh food and drink industry continues to go from strength to strength, growing in both scale and reputation. Welsh Government is promoting food in north Wales through our food festivals, which include Gŵyl Fwyd Caernarfon, Wrexham Food Festival, Menai Food Festival, Denbigh Plum Festival and Llangollen Food Festival, to name but a few, as well as at our agricultural shows. 

Thank you very much, Minister. As I'm sure you'd agree, north Wales has some of the best food and drink, which is enjoyed around the world, and certainly will be enjoyed by a greater range of people, thanks to the trade deals being struck by the UK Government now being released from the shackles of the European Union.

One of the things, though, Minister, that breweries and other similar businesses in north Wales are concerned about is the possibility of glass being included in a deposit-return scheme. In my view, there's a commonsense DRS that excludes glass, and would see the scheme and its requirements aligned across the United Kingdom. You'll be aware that brewers are certainly very concerned, and potentially seeing breweries going out of business if this continues. So, Minister, can you expand on what you're doing to help reach this sensible UK-wide outcome, instead of doing things perhaps differently just for the sake of it? Thank you.  

Well, I see you're copying your leader. I noticed his tweet about doing things differently. It's not in my portfolio—it's in the portfolio of the Minister for Climate Change—but it previously was in my portfolio when we first went out to consultation about a DRS. And I have to say that I think it's England doing things differently for the sake of it. Certainly, when I was the Minister with responsibility, I remember having conversations with Thérèse Coffey in her previous ministerial position, along with our Scottish counterparts, and glass was absolutely part of that scheme. So, if anybody is doing things differently for the sake of it, I think it's England. 

I agree with what you say about north Wales hosting some of the best food and drink producers we have here in Wales. I disagree profoundly with you about the shackles of the EU being removed now, and, certainly, I haven't seen anything in the trade agreements that are currently being negotiated between the UK Government and other countries that demonstrate any clear benefits. But I do accept that there are concerns from some of the brewers, and I have had discussions, actually not with the Minister for Climate Change, but with the Minister for Economy. We met with some of the drink sector to discuss those concerns.