Parliamentary update by Alexander Kinnear
As the dust begins to settle after the announcement of the Windsor Framework attention is now beginning to turn to how the business community, which the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) is part of in Northern Ireland (NI), will engage with the European Union (EU) and the various Commission structures that exist in Brussels.
NI Business Brexit Working Group (NIBBWG)
For the UFU being part of the NIBBWG is a vital component of EU engagement, ensuring the collective voice of business is heard loud and clear by both the UK government and the EU Commission. The group is made up of 14 industry bodies representing all industries within the NI business community and enjoys frequent interaction with all levels of politicians and civil servants from the UK, Republic of Ireland and EU.
British Agricultural Bureau (BAB)
BAB is the umbrella organisation that represents the four UK farming unions (UFU, NFU Scotland, NFU Cymru, NFU England) who contribute to the running of the office, and which maintains four full time members of staff.
BAB promote, defend and represent the views of UK farmers and growers to the European institutions, other European partners and Brussels stakeholders. Representing their interests through information gathering, analysis, influencing policy development, articulating the UK perspective, networking, building new relationships and alliances, and cementing existing ones.
Under the Windsor Framework, unlike the rest of UK, NI farmers will be directly affected by many of the rules and initiatives being developed in Brussels. This means that UFU will be working even more closely with BAB on behalf of our members. As UFU parliamentary officer, part of my responsibilities is to provide a bridge to BAB, participating with them in meetings with the Commission, MEPs and with other European farming organisations and helping to develop BAB’s policy positions.
BAB is unique in terms of having an English, Scottish, Northern Irish and Welsh perspective. However, given the specific issues arising from the NI Protocol now Windsor Framework, BAB has needed to devote a lot of time to the issues arising from GB to NI trade. Particularly SPS issues such as seed potatoes, veterinary medicine importation, livestock movements and plant protection product availability. Working with BAB we have successfully kept these issues high on the agenda of both the UK and EU in conversations with EU policy makers, MEPs and the UK government.
BAB is changing the way that it works as it is no longer an organisation representing farmers from a country that is part of the EU. However, the issues – environment and climate change, animal welfare, food chain and trade to name just a few, remain relevant and many of the resulting policies will apply directly in NI.
Copa Cogeca
BAB also represent the interests of UK farming unions through membership of Copa?Cogeca which brings together the voices of 22 million European farmers in a combined effort to promote the best interests of the agricultural sector among the EU institutions and other relevant stakeholders. This ensures that the concerns of UK farmers are heard and provides a platform to develop solutions to technical or trade barriers with the EU and beyond. UFU participate in Copa-Cogeca’s Praesidium which takes place every other month allowing for an opportunity to listen to the concerns of EU farmers and explore shared goals and interests.
The Future
This is only the beginning of a new relationship between NI and the EU. In response to this and in preparation for, UFU have taken steps to ensure that our members are represented in the best way possible in Brussels, particularly through the BAB office.
Whilst there are new proposals that are very much welcomed under the Windsor Framework, dealing with any potential agri-food related issues through sub-groups established within the UK-EU Joint Committee. There is now an onus on the UK government, the NI civil service and any future devolved government in NI to increase NI’s diplomatic effort in Brussels.
