Minister in visit to New Zealand

RURAL Affairs Secretary Lesley Griffiths has travelled to New Zealand for talks with political leaders and farmers’ representatives amid concerns that Welsh lamb and beef could be threatened by a free trade deal with the country after Brexit.

Ms Griffiths’ purpose in making the long trip is “to strengthen links between both countries and to learn first-hand about their primary production industry, including agriculture, forestry and fisheries”.

During the visit, she will visit the New Zealand Parliament to attend its primary production select committee and meet her ministerial counterparts to discuss a broad range of issues across her portfolio.

Ms Griffiths will also visit the Auckland and Manawatu regions to see dairy, sheep and beef farms and hold discussions with a wide range of representatives from these sectors.

According to the Welsh Government, the visit “provides an opportunity to discover what Wales can learn from a small, globalfacing country such as New Zealand and also discuss opportunities for both countries to work together”.

The Cabinet Secretary will meet representatives of the winegrowers’ industry, which has seen a significant growth in the last 40 years.

She will also meet chief executives of the main beef and lamb exporting bodies, as well as dairy trade organisations like Fonterra, to see what Wales can learn from their food and drink industry.

Speaking ahead of the visit, Ms Griffiths said: “This visit will enable us to learn from their food and drinks industry – a key sector for us post-Brexit. It is also an opportunity to hear about New Zealand’s experiences in managing significant change in agricultural policy, which is particularly timely as we work to secure a resilient and thriving industry in Wales after leaving the EU.”