English: Business Minister, I would like to request a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs on the Welsh Government support for farmers under the Glastir agri-environment scheme. Now, over the past month, I've been alerted to a large number of businesses having received letters from Welsh Government demanding the repayment of thousands of pounds based upon accusations that they have failed to undertake work as part of the terms of their Glastir contracts. Now, I would say, even the very best-run businesses in the world - and I should say I do believe farmers are excellent business people - cannot operate to their full potential when the Government department responsible appears to want to attack, deride and fine businesses the maximum amount of money at every possible opportunity for making minor errors on highly complex forms. Errors are made when dealing with complex forms, as has been demonstrated perfectly by Welsh Government this year. Almost 90 per cent of appeals against Welsh Government mapping errors have been successful or partially successful. So, in other words, in these cases, the Welsh Government error rate was 90 per cent. So, I would be grateful if you could ask the Cabinet Secretary to bring forward a statement at the earliest opportunity on the Glastir scheme. I appreciate that next week we have the Royal Welsh Show, so this would be an opportunity to provide that statement, which will commit to supporting Welsh farm businesses by adopting a proportionate approach in which leniency is applied where minor errors are made, incorrectly.
Welsh: Weinidog Busnes, hoffwn ofyn am ddatganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Amgylchedd a Materion Gwledig ynglŷn â chefnogaeth Llywodraeth Cymru i ffermwyr o dan gynllun amaeth-amgylcheddol Glastir. Yn awr, dros y mis diwethaf, rwyf wedi cael gwybod am nifer fawr o fusnesau sydd wedi cael llythyrau gan Lywodraeth Cymru yn mynnu eu bod yn ad-dalu miloedd o bunnoedd yn seiliedig ar gyhuddiadau nad ydynt wedi cyflawni gwaith yn rhan o delerau eu contractau Glastir. Yn awr, byddwn i'n dweud na all hyd yn oed y busnesau hynny sy'n cael eu rhedeg orau - a dylwn ddweud fy mod o'r farn fod ffermwyr yn bobl fusnes ardderchog - weithredu i'w llawn botensial pan ymddengys fod adran y Llywodraeth sy'n gyfrifol am y maes am ymosod ar fusnesau, eu gwawdio a rhoi dirwyon iddynt am y swm uchaf posibl o arian ar bob cyfle posibl am wneud mân gamgymeriadau ar ffurflenni cymhleth iawn. Mae camgymeriadau'n cael eu gwneud wrth ymdrin â ffurflenni cymhleth, fel y dangoswyd yn berffaith gan Lywodraeth Cymru eleni. Mae bron i 90 y cant o apeliadau yn erbyn camgymeriadau mapio Llywodraeth Cymru wedi bod yn llwyddiannus neu'n rhannol lwyddiannus. Felly, mewn geiriau eraill, yn yr achosion hyn, roedd cyfradd camgymeriadau Llywodraeth Cymru yn 90 y cant. Felly, byddwn yn ddiolchgar pe gallech ofyn i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet gyflwyno datganiad ynglŷn â chynllun Glastir cyn gynted â phosibl. Gwn fod Sioe Frenhinol Cymru gennym yr wythnos nesaf, felly byddai hynny'n gyfle i ddarparu'r datganiad hwnnw, a fydd yn ymrwymo i gefnogi busnesau fferm yng Nghymru trwy fabwysiadu dull cymesur sy'n dangos trugaredd pan wneir mân gamgymeriadau, yn anghywir.