UFU president William Irvine on his County Armagh farm. Picture: Cliff Donaldson
Northern Ireland’s agri-food sector has issued a united call to DAERA to immediately halt the ongoing Nutrients Action Programme (NAP) consultation process, warning that the current proposals pose a serious threat to local agriculture and food production. More time is needed to fully consider the impact they would have.
The demand was made at an emergency meeting organised by the Ulster Farmers’ Union, where key stakeholders from across the agri-food supply chain including producers, processors and banking representatives, voiced alarm over the potential impact of the proposed changes.
UFU president William Irvine said, “The strength of feeling at the meeting was unmistakable. The room was packed with representatives from every corner of our industry, and many more who couldn’t attend sent apologies and messages of concern. There is widespread consensus that the current NAP proposals are unbalanced, disproportionate and fundamentally disconnected from the realities of Northern Ireland’s farming sector. If implemented as they stand, these measures could devastate our agri-food industry.”
During the meeting, participants reviewed the draft NAP measures. There was unanimous agreement that the proposals, if advanced without proper scrutiny and adjustment, would have far-reaching and damaging consequences for the entire supply chain.
“The UFU and wider industry have formally written to the DAERA Minister, calling for an immediate suspension of the consultation process to allow for meaningful engagement and a comprehensive impact assessment.
“We are not opposed to tackling water quality issues, and on the contrary, there is strong cross-sector support for doing so. But solutions must be realistic, evidence-based and developed in genuine partnership with those on the ground. This is not the case here. Therefore, as an industry, we have agreed to coordinate a sector-wide response including targeted lobbying and the development of an evidence-led analysis of the proposed regulations.
“The agri-food industry is NI’s largest and most vital economic sector. We urge DAERA to recognise the scale of concern, halt the current process and work with us on a better way forward,” said Mr Irvine.
To view the full letter, and the list of signatures, please click here.
