There is a Crisis in Welsh Agriculture.

Now that the Bill has been published and we are aware that agriculture will be one of the core responsibilities of the forthcoming Assembly, I remind the right hon. Gentleman that there is a huge Crisis in Welsh Agriculture, so when he sees the unions this afternoon, will he not rule anything out?

I also pay tribute to the representatives of the main farming unions in Wales for the way in which they have briefed Members of Parliament, for their determined campaign on behalf of their members and for the evidence they submitted to the Select Committee on Welsh Affairs, whose brief inquiry into the Crisis in Welsh Agriculture is still going on.

Bearing in mind the fact that a document about the Crisis in Welsh Agriculture was published today, will my hon. Friend support calls for the Office of Fair Trading to investigate the role of supermarkets in the supply chain and the vertical restraints within it?

Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the (a) economic and (b) social effect of the current Crisis in Welsh Agriculture.

Given that the National Assembly is adamant across the political spectrum that the 20-day rule is ruinous to Welsh agriculture, is it not time for Ministers to speak up for Welsh farming in Cabinet, reflect the views of people in the National Assembly, who have been voted in by the people of Wales, and do something about the Crisis in Welsh Agriculture?