A proposed Environment budget cut labelled dangerous has been ditched at the eleventh hour by ministers – amid fears it would cripple hornet-hunting efforts and damage the Island’s reputation.

Ministers had planned to slash funding to the department by 6% – but, despite previously having stated that they would vote against on a Scrutiny proposal to restore the £656,000 in funding by taking money from the ‘Rainy Day Fund’, Chief Minister Lyndon Farnham confirmed the abrupt U-turn as debate headed to the States Assembly floor this morning.

The ministerial course correction followed urgent warnings that the cuts could force Jersey’s Asian-hornet programme to collapse – just as the invasive species reaches its highest levels yet.

Volunteers destroyed 625 nests this year, more than double last year’s total, and said losing support would present a risk for bees, agriculture and even public safety.

Deputy Hilary Jeune, chair of the Environment, Housing and Infrastructure panel, this morning said that the cuts created dangers of “undermining public safety, economic resilience, and environmental protection to save a relatively small sum when compared with other much larger departmental budgets”.

“This is not trimming fat, this is cutting into the bone,” she added.

Areas of concern cited by Deputy Jeune during the opening stage of the debate yesterday included Public Health monitoring for water quality, PFAS and air pollution, the “reputational damage” to the Island of being unable to comply with international conventions and the adverse effects on agriculture and tourism.

“Jersey’s natural environment is not a discretionary add-on or a ‘nice to have’ – it is a core public service that protects our health, our safety, and our economy,” she said.

Deputy Alex Curtis said that with the government having spelled out growth bids of £52m in the Budget, he believed it would be possible to identify scope for securing the £656,000 for Environment, which he said would only entail a cut to the proposed growth of 1.26%.

Work carried out by the department to combat the growing threat of Asian hornets, in collaboration with hundreds of volunteers across the Island, was mentioned by several Members as an area where funding cuts could be particularly damaging.

A previous comments paper on the funding restoration submitted by ministers said the department cuts were “necessary to curb the growth in the public service”.

Of the funding source, they commented that it was “wholly inappropriate” to use money from the so-called Rainy Day Fund, which is officially known as the Strategic Reserve “to fund ongoing expenditure”.

“The Strategic Reserve is a long-term reserve to be used for specific purposes,” they said.

But Deputy Farnham said today that there had been productive exchanges between ministers and members of the Scrutiny panel and that he was now happy to support the amendment.

Treasury officials would work on an amendment in order to ensure the funding was identified and the Budget balanced, he added.

Following the Chief Minister’s confirmation about the change-of-heart regarding the cuts, the Scrutiny panel’s amendment was supported 44-1 by Members, with Deputy Max Andrews the only politician to vote against.

Following the debate, Deputy Jonathan Renouf said on X (formerly Twitter): “Excellent news – the government has folded and agreed that the cuts to the Environment Department they had proposed will be reversed. A victory for [Deputy Hilary Jeune] whose closely argued case proved irresistible.

“A victory also for public campaigning.”

Excellent news – the government has folded and agreed that the cuts to the Environment Department they had proposed will be reversed. A victory for @hilaryjeune & her Scrutiny panel whose closely argued case proved irresistible. A victory also for public campaigning.

— Dr Jonathan Renouf (@JonathanRenouf)

December 9, 2025

The next phase of the debate saw support for an amendment by Deputy Karen Wilson to remove the possibility that the Agricultural Loans Scheme could be used to provide publicly funded financial assistance to growers of medicinal cannabis in Jersey.

Deputy Wilson said funds had been established for traditional agricultural activity such as growing food and keeping livestock, rather than “pharmaceutical manufacturing”.

Ministers sought to amend the move by limiting any loans for medicinal cannabis to a maximum of 10% of the total. This move was supported at the vote by 28-13, with Deputy Wilson’s proposal, as amended, then being passed by 39 votes to four.

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