At the start of December, members of the UFU Rural Affairs Committee were kindly invited to join the Irish Farmers’ Association Farm Families Committee in Brussels for a joint visit hosted by MEP Nina Carberry. Nine UFU members attended with policy officer, Kayleigh Ashton-Meek. This visit was the first time that these UFU and IFA committees have met together in Brussels and was a significant event for both organisations.
The visit commenced with UFU members being invited to join in with the IFA’s regular Farm Families committee meeting, which was held in a meeting room in the European Parliament buildings. Members had the opportunity to hear about the differences and similarities which are faced by IFA members, including discussions related to health, local food, education and finance. The discussions highlighted that, while farming families operate within different political and regulatory frameworks, many of the social, economic and wellbeing challenges faced are shared.
Members then had the chance to speak with three Irish MEPs in parliament; Nina Carberry, Ciaran Mullooly and Cynthia Ní Mhurchú. IFA members took this opportunity to lobby about local issues and asked the MEPs for their views on current affairs and future policy developments. UFU members had the chance to ask the MEPs about their links with Northern Ireland, and developments within the EU which will have a direct impact on NI agriculture.
After a tour of the European Parliament and the Hemicycle, and a visit to the Parliamentarium; the museum of the EU, members met with Liam MacHale and representatives from Copa-Cogeca in the Brussels IFA office, to hear about the work which IFA undertakes within Copa-Cogeca. UFU members also took this opportunity to visit the office of the British Agricultural Bureau – the Brussels office jointly owned by the 4 UK farming unions – and ask questions about Northern Irelands place within Brussels and Copa-Cogeca and how the UFU is represented across the sectors.
After a packed day of meetings and discussing shared-island policy, Nina Carberry kindly invited the group to have dinner at a local restaurant for some down time and networking. This was highly appreciated by the group and also provided additional time to ask questions and lobby for change within agriculture. The evening even concluded with a viewing of Nina Carberry’s winning appearance on Dancing with the Stars!
The trip finished off with a social visit to a local Belgian dairy farm and cheese production facility where the group had a guided tour of the farm and robotic milking system and took part in a cheese tasting session.
By virtue of NI’s unique position aligned to aspects of the EU single market, it is essential that the UFU continues to maintain strong and constructive relationships in Brussels. Decisions taken at EU levels have a direct and practical impact on NI agriculture, from agri-food standards and trade rules to animal health and environment policy. Engagement with MEPs, EU institutions, and representative bodies, ensures that the specific circumstances of NI agriculture currently are understood.
The Committee thanks MEP Nina Carberry for sponsoring the visit and Claire McGlynn (IFA policy executive) and Teresa Roche (IFA Farm Families chair) for organising the visits.
