English: I move the motion tabled in my name. As the Welsh Government reviews its bovine TB strategy, the Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee felt this presented a good opportunity to undertake a short, sharp inquiry into the programme. From the outset, I'd like to thank those who gave evidence to the committee and helped shape our report. One of those giving evidence was Roger Lewis, a dairy farmer in Pembrokeshire, who explained that he had 47 cows in isolation as a result of a TB breakdown. Roger told us he was having to pour away £300-worth of milk, and feed the cows £100-worth of concentrate every day. However, the financial burden of a breakdown is only part of the pain for farmers, as Roger also told the committee about the emotional distress he felt seeing his cows penned up day in, day out. Llywydd dros dro, I wanted to open this debate by highlighting Roger's experience because I believe that it's important that Members hear the views of farmers like him, so that we can better understand the impact TB breakdowns have on farms across Wales. Now, the committee's report focuses on five key areas the Government must address if they are to create a refreshed strategy that will eradicate TB and support farmers though the process. Those areas are engagement with farmers and the wider industry; informed purchasing; testing; compensation; and wildlife. We heard that the countries that have been most successful with TB eradication programmes have very good engagement with farmers. Professor Glyn Hewinson told Members that the systems in Ireland and New Zealand, where there is evidence of good farmer engagement, has led to good results. So, on the basis of that good work, the committee has recommended that the Welsh Government follow a co-production route when developing its bovine TB policy, so that there is a genuine buy-in from the farming industry. I'm pleased that the Welsh Government has accepted the committee's recommendations on engagement and the principle of co-production, and I know from the Minister's statement earlier this week that she is considering the farmer engagement task and finish group report's findings and recommendations, and the NFU Cymru TB focus group report. The committee also looked at informed purchasing, and as Members will know, there is currently a voluntary approach to informed purchasing in Wales, where farmers are encouraged to make their herds' testing history available at the point of sale to allow assessment of TB risk level. The committee considered whether mandatory informed purchasing would be a way forward, although the evidence we received painted a very mixed picture. Some witnesses argued for mandatory informed purchasing, saying that this would help farmers do the right thing, but the committee also heard that it could create a two-tier system, where animals that are deemed as higher risk will have a lower value. However, one thing was very clear: informed purchasing, whether voluntary or mandatory, must be based on robust data. We know that the Welsh Government is developing a new multispecies database, EID Cymru, and this presents an opportunity to improve the information provided as part of informed purchasing. Nevertheless, whilst stakeholders were supportive of the development of EID Cymru, they raised valid concerns about the compatibility between the different UK administrations. So, whilst I'm pleased that the Welsh Government has accepted in principle the recommendations around informed purchasing, it did not address the issue of compatibility with other data systems in the UK, so I hope the Minister will address this issue in her response to this debate. As part of the inquiry, the committee explored the idea of increasing TB testing, by reintroducing pre-movement testing in low-risk areas and also increasing the sensitivity of the tests that are used. Whilst there was broad support for increasing pre-movement testing, farming unions raised concerns that more sensitive tests would produce more false positives, which would in turn have a negative socioeconomic impact on the farming industry. The committee has recommended that a detailed socioeconomic impact assessment of any changes to the TB testing regime should be undertaken, and it's good to see that that recommendation has been accepted. Llywydd dros dro, the committee heard how compensation for TB is a recurring area of overspend for the Welsh Government, which is simply unsustainable. One of the proposed solutions to this is a move away from the current individual cow-by-cow valuation to a tabular system for compensation, and members heard evidence in favour of the move from the RSPCA and against it from farming unions. The committee concluded that TB compensation must be used to reward good farming and that if a tabular compensation system is introduced, the Welsh Government must ensure that farmers rearing high-value cattle are not treated unfairly and do not lose out. Committee members understood that the current compensation programme is expensive. However, we also recognise that gaining farmer buy-in to any new system will be vital to its success. Finally, whilst the committee tried to limit its work on wildlife in this inquiry, as that debate continues to be had, we did believe that there was a gap in data around bovine TB in wildlife. In the response to the report, the Welsh Government noted several studies and we as a committee will continue to monitor any scientific work done in this area. So, Llywydd dros dro, this may be a short, sharp inquiry, but nonetheless its content and its report are vital, and so I look forward to hearing Members' views on this report and how we can help improve Wales's TB eradication policy ahead of the publication of the refreshed delivery plan later this year. Diolch yn fawr.
Welsh: Rwy'n gwneud y cynnig a gyflwynwyd yn fy enw i. Wrth i Lywodraeth Cymru adolygu ei strategaeth TB buchol, teimlai Pwyllgor yr Economi, Masnach a Materion Gwledig fod hwn yn gyfle da i gynnal ymchwiliad byr a sydyn i'r rhaglen. O'r cychwyn cyntaf, hoffwn ddiolch i'r rhai a roddodd dystiolaeth i'r pwyllgor ac a helpodd i lunio ein hadroddiad. Un o'r rhai a roddodd dystiolaeth oedd Roger Lewis, ffermwr godro yn sir Benfro, a eglurodd fod ganddo 47 o wartheg yn ynysu o ganlyniad i achosion o TB. Dywedodd Roger wrthym ei fod yn gorfod arllwys gwerth £300 o laeth, a bwydo gwerth £100 o ddwysfwyd i'r gwartheg bob dydd. Fodd bynnag, dim ond rhan o'r boen i ffermwyr yw'r baich ariannol sy'n deillio o achosion, gan fod Roger wedi dweud wrth y pwyllgor hefyd am y trallod emosiynol a deimlai wrth weld ei wartheg wedi eu cau i mewn o un diwrnod i'r llall. Lywydd dros dro, roeddwn am agor y ddadl hon drwy dynnu sylw at brofiad Roger oherwydd credaf ei bod yn bwysig i'r Aelodau glywed barn ffermwyr tebyg iddo, fel y gallwn ddeall yn well beth yw'r effaith y mae achosion o TB yn ei chael ar ffermydd ledled Cymru. Nawr, mae adroddiad y pwyllgor yn canolbwyntio ar bum maes allweddol y mae'n rhaid i'r Llywodraeth fynd i'r afael â hwy os ydynt am greu strategaeth ddiwygiedig a fydd yn dileu TB ac yn cefnogi ffermwyr drwy'r broses. Y meysydd hynny yw ymgysylltu â ffermwyr a'r diwydiant ehangach; prynu gwybodus; profion; iawndal; a bywyd gwyllt. Clywsom fod y gwledydd a fu'n fwyaf llwyddiannus gyda rhaglenni dileu TB yn ymgysylltu'n dda iawn â ffermwyr. Dywedodd yr Athro Glyn Hewinson wrth yr Aelodau fod y systemau yn Iwerddon a Seland Newydd, lle ceir tystiolaeth o ymgysylltu da â ffermwyr, wedi arwain at ganlyniadau da. Felly, ar sail y gwaith da hwnnw, mae'r pwyllgor wedi argymell y dylai Llywodraeth Cymru ddilyn llwybr cydgynhyrchu wrth ddatblygu ei pholisi TB buchol, er mwyn denu cefnogaeth ddiffuant y diwydiant ffermio. Rwy'n falch fod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi derbyn argymhellion y pwyllgor ar ymgysylltu a'r egwyddor o gydgynhyrchu, a gwn o ddatganiad y Gweinidog yn gynharach yr wythnos hon ei bod yn ystyried canfyddiadau ac argymhellion adroddiad y grŵp gorchwyl a gorffen ar ymgysylltu â ffermwyr, ac adroddiad grŵp ffocws NFU Cymru ar TB. Edrychodd y pwyllgor hefyd ar brynu gwybodus, ac fel y gŵyr yr Aelodau, ceir agwedd wirfoddol ar hyn o bryd tuag at brynu gwybodus yng Nghymru, lle caiff ffermwyr eu hannog i sicrhau bod hanes profion eu buchesi ar gael yn y man gwerthu i ganiatáu asesiad o lefel y risg o TB. Ystyriodd y pwyllgor a fyddai prynu gwybodus ar sail orfodol yn ffordd ymlaen, er bod y dystiolaeth a gawsom yn rhoi darlun cymysg iawn. Dadleuodd rhai tystion o blaid prynu gwybodus ar sail orfodol, gan ddweud y byddai hyn yn helpu ffermwyr i wneud y peth iawn, ond clywodd y pwyllgor hefyd y gallai greu system ddwy haen, lle bydd gwerth is i anifeiliaid yr ystyrir eu bod yn risg uwch. Fodd bynnag, roedd un peth yn glir iawn: rhaid i brynu gwybodus, boed ar sail wirfoddol neu orfodol, fod yn seiliedig ar ddata cadarn. Gwyddom fod Llywodraeth Cymru yn datblygu cronfa ddata amlrywogaeth newydd, EID Cymru, ac mae hyn yn gyfle i wella'r wybodaeth a ddarperir yn rhan o brynu gwybodus. Serch hynny, er bod rhanddeiliaid yn cefnogi datblygiad EID Cymru, codwyd pryderon dilys ganddynt am gydweddoldeb â gwahanol weinyddiaethau'r DU. Felly, er fy mod yn falch fod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi derbyn mewn egwyddor yr argymhellion ynghylch prynu gwybodus, nid aeth i'r afael â mater cydweddoldeb â systemau data eraill yn y DU, felly rwy'n gobeithio yr aiff y Gweinidog i'r afael â'r mater yn ei hymateb i'r ddadl hon. Fel rhan o'r ymchwiliad, archwiliodd y pwyllgor y syniad o gynyddu profion TB, drwy ailgyflwyno profion cyn symud mewn ardaloedd risg isel a chynyddu sensitifrwydd y profion a ddefnyddir. Er bod cefnogaeth eang i gynyddu profion cyn symud, lleisiodd undebau'r ffermwyr bryderon y byddai profion mwy sensitif yn arwain at fwy o ganlyniadau positif anghywir, a fyddai yn eu tro'n cael effaith economaidd-gymdeithasol negyddol ar y diwydiant ffermio. Mae'r pwyllgor wedi argymell y dylid cynnal asesiad effaith economaidd-gymdeithasol manwl o unrhyw newidiadau i drefn profion TB, ac mae'n dda gweld bod yr argymhelliad hwnnw wedi'i dderbyn. Lywydd dros dro, clywodd y pwyllgor sut y mae iawndal TB yn faes lle mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn gorwario arno dro ar ôl tro, sy'n anghynaliadwy. Un o'r atebion a gynigiwyd ar gyfer hyn yw symud oddi wrth y prisiad fesul buwch unigol a wneir ar hyn o bryd i system dablaidd ar gyfer iawndal, a chlywodd yr aelodau dystiolaeth o blaid symud gan yr RSPCA ac yn erbyn gan undebau'r ffermwyr. Daeth y pwyllgor i'r casgliad fod yn rhaid defnyddio iawndal TB i wobrwyo ffermio da ac os cyflwynir system iawndal dablaidd, rhaid i Lywodraeth Cymru sicrhau nad yw ffermwyr sy'n magu gwartheg gwerth uchel yn cael eu trin yn annheg ac nad ydynt ar eu colled. Roedd aelodau'r Pwyllgor yn deall bod y rhaglen iawndal bresennol yn ddrud. Fodd bynnag, rydym hefyd yn cydnabod y bydd ennill cefnogaeth ffermwyr i unrhyw system newydd yn hanfodol i'w llwyddiant. Yn olaf, er i'r pwyllgor geisio cyfyngu ar ei waith ar fywyd gwyllt yn yr ymchwiliad hwn, wrth i'r ddadl honno barhau, roeddem yn credu bod bwlch yn y data ynghylch TB buchol mewn bywyd gwyllt. Yn yr ymateb i'r adroddiad, nododd Llywodraeth Cymru sawl astudiaeth a byddwn ni fel pwyllgor yn parhau i fonitro unrhyw waith gwyddonol a wneir yn y maes hwn. Felly, Lywydd dros dro, efallai mai ymchwiliad byr a sydyn yw hwn, ond serch hynny mae ei gynnwys a'i adroddiad yn hanfodol, ac felly edrychaf ymlaen at glywed barn yr Aelodau am yr adroddiad a sut y gallwn helpu i wella polisi dileu TB Cymru cyn cyhoeddi'r cynllun cyflawni wedi'i adnewyddu yn ddiweddarach eleni. Diolch yn fawr.