Source · Select Committees · Welsh Affairs Committee
Recommendation 12
12
Rejected
Maintain ring-fencing of agricultural funding to safeguard the future of Welsh agriculture.
Recommendation
To help safeguard the future of agriculture, we believe there is a strong case for the Welsh Government to maintain the practice of ring-fencing agricultural funding. This would provide continuity, certainty and ensure that all allocated resources are dedicated exclusively to supporting Welsh agriculture. (Recommendation, Paragraph 68)
Government Response Summary
The government explains that agriculture and fisheries funding is no longer ringfenced, having been added to devolved governments' baseline, and that the Welsh Government is now responsible for how to spend this funding, thus not supporting the recommendation for continued ring-fencing.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
Agriculture and fisheries funding from 2024–25 has been added to the devolved governments’ baseline funding from 2025–26, meaning the funding amount will be maintained in cash terms. Funding is no longer ringfenced and the devolved governments can choose how to spend this in devolved areas. In Wales, the Welsh Government will be responsible for decisions on how to use the funding and are accountable to the Senedd for those decisions. In future, the Barnett formula will apply in the normal way to agriculture and fisheries funding provided to the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in England.