Farming News - Edwina Hart replaces Alun Davies as Welsh farm minister
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Edwina Hart replaces Alun Davies as Welsh farm minister
Edwina Hart, AM for Gower in South Wales, has replaced Alun Davies as Welsh farming minister, after Davies' sacking yesterday.
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Although Hart has been named minister for agriculture, and the Welsh Government said it would announce a replacement for Davies' post earlier on Tuesday, his full responsibilities as Minister for Natural Resources and Food have now been divided up between three other ministers.
First Minister Carwyn Jones made Hart responsible for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in addition to her existing responsibilities. He appointed Rebecca Evans to support Hart as Deputy Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries. John Griffiths will take over responsibility for environment policy.
The former minister was sacked after it emerged that he had repeatedly pressured civil servants working with him to pass over private information on political opponents' CAP subsidies. His colleagues refused and referred Davies to the First Minister last week.
The former minister apologised in a statement issued late on Tuesday, saying that he was "sorry to be leaving the government" but recognising that he had placed his colleagues "in a very difficult situation."
Tuesday's revelation about the disgraced minister's actions follows a separate scandal last week; Davies had inappropriately lobbied Natural Resources Wales over plans for a motor racing circuit in his constituency, which it had opposed.
Hart has represented Gower since the Welsh Assembly was established in 1999. She became Wales' first Minister for Social Justice in 2003. She has been serving as Minister for Economy, Science and Transport since March 2013.