Will the Minister confirm whether the Welsh Government maintains regular monitoring of the state of grassland and the rate of grass production in Wales?
Welsh Government, through the Environment and Rural Affairs Monitoring and Modelling Programme (ERAMMP), undertakes a rolling National Field Survey which provides information on long term trends across our rural environment. ERAMMP collects National trend data on the condition of grasslands and grassland soils and is acknowledged across the UK and internationally as an exemplar in integrated environmental monitoring. ERAMMP is supported by our farmers, their Unions and environmental NGO’s.
Welsh Government does not monitor the rate of grass production in Wales but does provide advice through initiatives such as Farming Connect and is developing new approaches to monitoring the production of grass across Wales using its innovative Living Wales Earth Observation system.