Farming subsidy for 'disadvantaged land' is vital to save Northern Ireland's rural way of life - UUP
Legislation to provide subsidies to farms on challenging land is vital to prevent farms being abandoned, declining livestock numbers and the loss of knowledge and skills that have sustained rural communities for generations, an Ulster Unionist MLA says.
Diana Armstrong’s comments come after the Assembly backed the progress of a new law to bring back payments for farmers working on difficult land – despite opposition from the DUP and Alliance.
They have raised concerns about costs and whether the scheme is fair – and questioned if it could be funded without impacting other farmers.
The Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) Bill has been brought forward by Sinn Fein MLA Declan McAleer, and Ulster Unionist support ensured its passage to the next stage at Stormont. However, the party has said its backing relies on Sinn Fein coming up with “credible funding” – and ensuring the law is in line with a “coherent, long-term agricultural policy”.
Mrs Armstrong told the News Letter that the bill could provide additional support to those farmers with “less favoured land” – without “negatively impacting on the wider farming sector”.
“This legislation offers a genuine opportunity to correct long standing imbalances in our Agri-Food sector and to strengthen Northern Ireland’s food security. Without targeted ANC support, we face the very real risk of continued land abandonment, declining livestock numbers, and the loss of vital farming knowledge and skills that have sustained rural communities for generations.
“This Bill has the potential to provide additional financial support for thousands of farmers throughout Northern Ireland. I see the daily struggles our farmers face, especially in these turbulent times of rising costs.
“With almost 73% of farmers in my constituency qualifying under the ANC criteria, this Bill is not just important, It is about securing their future, giving them the chance to thrive, and protecting countless family farms right across Northern Ireland.
“It was disheartening to watch the DUP, who repeatedly claim to stand up for our farmers, turn their backs on this opportunity this week. Instead of engaging constructively, they simply rehearsed Alliance lines and championed Minister Muir. That approach will do little to inspire confidence among the farming community. To dismiss the Bill so early, without proper scrutiny of its potential, and to fall back on the familiar refrain of ‘unfunded and unfair’ is not what our farmers need right now.
“The funding is already there within DAERA. You only have to look at the tens of millions spent year after year on the escalating TB crisis – a problem Minister Muir continues to kick down the road or at his vanity space programme supposedly intended to save Lough Neagh” the Fermanagh MLA said.
The “vanity space programme” is a reference to Minister Andrew Muir’s scheme to research the use of satellite technology to monitor algal blooms in Lough Neagh, which was last year awarded £800,000 in funding by the UK Space Agency.
Mrs Armstrong added: “If you look hard enough, the resources exist. My party wants to explore how we can make ANC support a reality. That means properly scrutinising this legislation, identifying improvements, and working to deliver it for our rural communities. Farmers have nothing to fear from the ANC”.
But the DUP have slammed the proposal as unfunded, unfair and say it “risks setting farmer against farmer.” Deputy leader Michelle McIlveen said it would raise expectations among farmers “but provides no realistic plan to deliver”.
“There is a strong case for a targeted sheep support scheme, particularly given that over half of Northern Ireland’s sheep are located in severely disadvantaged areas. Such a scheme would deliver meaningful, practical support to those farms most in need, while recognising the vital role sheep farmers play in sustaining rural communities, protecting the environment and supporting the wider agri-food economy”, she said.
DAERA minister Andrew Muir said this week that almost half of Northern Ireland's agricultural land is in a severely disadvantaged area – and the sustainable agriculture programme (SAP) “provides targeted support” which delivers environmental benefits while supporting the agri-food sector.
The Alliance politician said that if the law was to pass, would create a legal requirement on DAERA to set up a new scheme, regardless of affordability – and it would force a further reduction in Farm Sustainability Payment (FSP) values for all farmers. He dismissed assertions from other parties that his department had the finances to deliver the scheme – saying DAERA was facing an overspend.