Will the Minister state whether the £5million announced to help eradicate sheep scab across Wales is enough to kick-start a national treatment programme and maintain it, clarify the reasoning for this amount of investment specifically, and explain by when she expects to know more information about the programme?
I was pleased to announce the £5m Rural Development Programme (RDP) funding to be used to help support the industry in tackling the disease. Eradicating sheep scab has the potential to deliver significant, lasting economic benefits for the sector at a particularly challenging time as we prepare to leave the European Union. Building sustainability into our sheep industry is vital.
Allocations under the RDP are considered at a strategic programme level. The £5m allocated will enable a national treatment programme to commence and be maintained during the current programming period. More detail regarding a scheme will be available, once a successful application has been approved under the RDP.