Ulster Farmers Union to hold roadshows to discuss new policy

The Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) is holding a series of face-to-face “presidents’ area roadshows” throughout January, to collect farmer views on the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs’ latest consultation on post-Brexit farm support arrangements in Northern Ireland.

The proposals were released just before Christmas by agriculture minister Edwin Poots, setting out how the NI government aims to deliver increased farm productivity, care for the environment, business resilience and a fairer supply chain – including through direct area aid and headage payments.

See also: Farm policy gathers pace in UK devolved regions

The consultation, which runs to 124 pages, describes eight main workstreams, as follows:

1. A “resilience measure” – with area-based income payments to provide a basic safety net. This will account for the bulk of the support budget initially, but will be reduced over time. There will also be a “crisis framework”, including market intervention and private storage aid in the event of a market collapse.
2. A “headage sustainability package” – accounting for 17% of the budget, this will include support for suckler cows and a “beef transformation measure”.
3. A farming for nature package – with bespoke agri-environment schemes, which, over time, will become the “central plank” of support in NI.
4. “Farming for carbon measures” – providing incentives and training to cut emissions.
5. “Knowledge measures” – with an emphasis on continual professional development.
6. An “investment measure” – with grants to increase productivity and to reduce carbon, ammonia and nitrate emissions.
7. A “generational renewal measure” – to transition farming businesses to those with better training and skills, and who have “a longer investment horizon”.
8. “Supply chain measures” – encouraging farmer collaboration and a fairer supply chain.

The consultation explores each of these in considerable detail, and then asks stakeholders a series of specific questions.

For example, on the resilience measure, it explains that future payments will be made on an area basis, triggered by land entitlements, which will continue to be transferable.

The minimum claim size will rise to 10ha and new “farm sustainability standards” will replace current cross-compliance.

The money will only go to active farmers and payments will be progressively capped above £60,000.

Roadshows

UFU president Victor Chestnutt has described the consultation as a “once in a generation opportunity to redefine agriculture policies and support” and has confirmed that planned roadshows to discuss the proposals will go ahead from Monday 10 January.

“Members who attend will be required to wear face masks, hand sanitisers will be provided on site and two-metre social distancing will be upheld throughout the event,” said Mr Chestnutt.

“Regardless of vaccination status, we ask everyone to do a lateral flow test before attending the event. We also urge anyone who is displaying Covid-19 symptoms to please stay at home.”

Numbers will be limited so UFU members wanting to attend must register in advance.