The Ulster Farmers’ Union is issuing a stark warning to its members and the wider agri community, to respond to the Nutrients Action Programme (NAP) consultation by Thursday 24 July, to protect the future of Northern Ireland’s family farms. The outcome of this process will have major implications for farm viability and the resilience of NI’s rural economy.
UFU deputy president John McLenaghan said, “This consultation process has been fundamentally flawed from the start, poorly executed, disconnected from the reality of farming and completely lacking in economic analysis. The stakes couldn’t be higher. If these proposals go unchallenged, thousands of family farms could be pushed to the brink. I am calling on all farmers and members of the agri community to make their voices heard. We need their professionalism and expertise to create a NAP that works with farmers.
“The DAERA Minister has confirmed that a stakeholder task and finish group will be set up after the consultation closes, guided by the feedback submitted. That makes individual responses from the farming community absolutely vital. This is a key moment to shape the future direction of the NAP and we must come together as an industry to demand and drive meaningful, practical change.”
Among nearly 40 proposed new measures, several stand out as unworkable and deeply damaging to the agriculture industry:
- Severe phosphorus limits affecting thousands of farms, forcing them to potentially buy or rent more land, driving up land prices and squeezing out smaller farms, or reduce livestock numbers, making many operations financially unviable.
- Mandatory Low Emission Slurry Spreading Equipment (LESSE) for all farms by 2030, which many small beef and sheep farms simply cannot afford.
- Compulsory buffer strips on arable and horticulture land, further cutting productive land and adding red tape.
“These proposals are a real threat to our farms and communities. They ignore the practical realities of farming, impose burdens that many cannot meet and threaten to cripple our rural economy. Our industry faces devastation from policies disguised as environmental safeguards, despite our farmers driving successful solutions for decades. For the last twenty years, since NAP was first introduced, we have been implementing practices to improve water quality. The farming community have always acknowledged and supported this need.
“The UFU is currently working with other agri-food stakeholders on an independent economic analysis, given that no official assessment was carried out to begin with. A robust and detailed UFU response will also be submitted on behalf of members, pending approval by the Union’s Executive Committee next week. In the meantime, I urge everyone involved in the agri sector to submit your personal and unique response to the NAP consultation. The future of our family farms depend on it,” said Mr McLenaghan.
In order to assist farmers with preparing an individual response, the UFU has emailed guidance to members. This information is also available from the UFU technical team and local UFU group offices.
