Poverty row spending on two agricultural shows slammed as government puts just £200 across the pair of them
Two flagship agricultural shows have suffered severe funding cuts in recent years, with an MLA slamming the government’s miserly spending on them.
Last year, the Co Antrim shows got a little over £200 between them from the Department of Agriculture, the Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) – a situation MLA Colin Crawford describes as a “complete failure to support” the events, which he feels shows officials are disregarding the importance they have in the lives of country folk.
Mr Crawford hit out at Daera after securing details in Stormont showing just how little shows in Ballymena and Ballymoney now receive from the government compared to a few years ago.
In 2022, they got close to £15,150 between them, though that includes post-Covid recovery grants that are no longer available. In 2024, however, they received a total of £217.50.
The main Daera grant funding available to agricultural shows comes from the Northern Ireland Regional Food Programme; Ballymena hasn’t applied for that in the last couple of years, while judging from information sourced from the government by Mr Crawford, in 2024 Ballymoney appears to have been turned down despite being approved in previous years.
Going on Mr Crawford’s info, last year Daera's financial support for the two shows likely consisted of buying trade stands plus three entrance tickets for Ballymena, and trade stands but zero entrance tickets at Ballymoney.
The UUP MLA hit out at the department for the drop in funding: “These shows mean so much to our rural and agricultural communities; they are important not only for showcasing our local produce and livestock but also for bringing people together and promoting rural life.
“The department’s complete failure to support the hard-working volunteers who make these events possible is nothing short of disgraceful.
“To go from thousands of pounds in support to a miserly £90 for the Ballymoney Show and £127.50 for the Ballymena Show [last year] demonstrates a clear disregard for the significance of these events in north Antrim. The minister really needs to do more.”
Mr Crawford argued that with Daera not providing “tangible support” for the events, it’s up to local people to get behind them.
“I would encourage everyone across north Antrim and beyond to show their appreciation for these shows by attending and supporting them in person,” he said. “Let’s stand behind our local volunteers and the rural community that makes north Antrim so special.”
A spokesman for Daera pointed at budget pressures, and said its allocation for the current financial year is “an extremely difficult outcome” and “insufficient to meet significant pressures the department faces”.
As a result, said the spokesman, things that aren’t legal requirements for Daera to carry out, such as funding agricultural shows, might not be possible.
“Provision of funding for local shows is not a statutory obligation, and opportunities for financial support in the form of discretionary sponsorship are extremely limited,” he said.
“One potential opportunity for funding exists under the NI Regional Food Programme, a competitive application programme with a limited budget. The deadline for applications for projects taking place [this financial year] was April 16.”