Agriculture (Wales) Act 2023

Monitoring and reporting

4 Sustainable land management indicators and targets

(1) The Welsh Ministers must prepare a statement setting out—

(a) indicators that are to be applied to measure progress towards achieving the sustainable land management objectives through the exercise of the functions to which the duty in section 2 applies, and

(b) targets in relation to those indicators.

(2) The statement must contain—

(a) at least one distinct indicator for each sustainable land management objective, and

(b) at least one distinct target relating to at least one distinct indicator for each sustainable land management objective.

(3) The statement may in addition set out further indicators and further targets.

(4) A further indicator set out under subsection (3) may be for one sustainable land management objective or more than one.

(5) A further target set out under subsection (3) may relate to one indicator (whether an indicator set out under subsection (2) or a further indicator set out under subsection (3)) or more than one.

(6) An indicator or target may relate to Wales or any part of Wales.

(7) A target may be set by reference to any period that the Welsh Ministers consider appropriate.

(8) The Welsh Ministers must, no later than 31 December 2025—

(a) publish the statement, and

(b) lay it before Senedd Cymru.

(9) The Welsh Ministers may review and revise the statement at any time.

(10) Subsections (2) to (8) apply in relation to a revised statement as they apply to the original statement.

(11) Where the Welsh Ministers revise the statement, they must as soon as reasonably practicable—

(a) publish the revised statement, and

(b) lay it before Senedd Cymru.

5 Steps to be taken in preparing or revising indicators and targets

(1) In preparing or revising a statement under section 4, the Welsh Ministers must take the steps set out in subsections (2) and (3).

(2) The Welsh Ministers must have regard to—

(a) any national indicators (as revised from time to time) published under section 10 of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 (anaw 2) that they consider to be relevant,

(b) the most recent state of natural resources report published under section 8 of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 (anaw 3), so far as it relates to agriculture, other activities carried out on land used for agriculture, or ancillary activities,

(c) the most recent national natural resources policy published under section 9 of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016, so far as it relates to agriculture, other activities carried out on land used for agriculture, or ancillary activities,

(d) the most recent Impact Report (if any) published under section 14, and

(e) any other matters (including, among other things, any statistics published by the Welsh Ministers on agricultural production or the income of agricultural businesses, deriving from surveys of the sector) the Welsh Ministers consider appropriate.

(3) The Welsh Ministers must consult—

(a) the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, and

(b) any other persons they consider appropriate.

6 Sustainable land management reports

(1) The Welsh Ministers must prepare a report under this section, in relation to each reporting period, setting out their assessment of—

(a) the cumulative progress made, since section 2 came into force, towards achieving the sustainable land management objectives through the exercise of the functions to which the duty in section 2 applies, and

(b) the progress made, during the reporting period, towards achieving those objectives through the exercise of those functions.

(2) The report must set out, in relation to each indicator in the statement (or revised statement) published under section 4—

(a) the progress made in relation to that indicator during the reporting period, and

(b) how that has contributed to achieving the sustainable land management objectives.

(3) The report must also specify, in relation to each target in the statement (or revised statement), whether the target has been achieved during the reporting period.

(4) If a target has been achieved during the reporting period, the report must explain how that has contributed to achieving one or more of the sustainable land management objectives.

(5) If a target has not been achieved during the reporting period, the report must—

(a) explain why, and

(b) set out the steps the Welsh Ministers have taken, or intend to take—

(i) to achieve the target, or

(ii) to set an appropriate new target.

(6) If the Welsh Ministers have not yet been able to determine whether a target has been achieved during the reporting period, the report must—

(a) explain why, and

(b) set out the steps that the Welsh Ministers have taken, or intend to take, in order to determine whether the target has been achieved.

(7) The report may also assess and report on—

(a) any other matters that the Welsh Ministers consider relevant in assessing the progress made towards achieving the sustainable land management objectives;

(b) the key priorities, risks and opportunities in relation to achieving those objectives;

(c) the effect that the progress made towards achieving those objectives is having on achieving other goals and objectives.

(8) The Welsh Ministers must, no later than 12 months after the end of each reporting period—

(a) publish the report that relates to the reporting period, and

(b) lay it before Senedd Cymru.

(9) In this section, the “reporting period” means—

(a) in the case of the first report, the period beginning with the day on which section 2 comes into force and ending with 31 December 2025;

(b) in the case of subsequent reports, successive periods of five years.

(10) The Welsh Ministers may by regulations amend subsection (9).

7 Steps to be taken in preparing reports

In preparing a report under section 6, the Welsh Ministers must have regard to—

(a) the most recent state of natural resources report published under section 8 of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 (anaw 3), so far as it relates to agriculture, other activities carried out on land used for agriculture, or ancillary activities,

(b) the most recent national natural resources policy published under section 9 of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016, so far as it relates to agriculture, other activities carried out on land used for agriculture, or ancillary activities,

(c) the most recent Impact Report (if any) published under section 14, and

(d) any other matters (including, among other things, any statistics published by the Welsh Ministers on agricultural production or the income of agricultural businesses, deriving from surveys of the sector) the Welsh Ministers consider appropriate.