Debate contribution: Farming Community: DAERA Engagement
Debate contribution by Mr Andrew Muir on .
- MLA
- Mr Andrew Muir
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 7 September 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- Farming Community: DAERA Engagement
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5669952
Read the official Assembly record
Text
When I took up office, I took a pledge to serve all the people of Northern Ireland equally, which is something that other people struggle to do. I am the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. An awful lot of people seek to speak on behalf of farmers. I will quote from one of the letters that I have received from them:
"This is just a very brief note to say how angry that I have felt re the mainly politically motivated & misguided 'pile on' there has been against you & your dept. over the last few weeks. Those organisations & parties involved should be ashamed of themselves. There may well be lessons to be learnt from the enquiry & that of course is what it is designed to do. Please do not for one moment think that the feelings of all or even most farmers have been displayed over the last few days. There is a large section of the farming community, less vociferous than those involved, who I believe think that you & your dept. have delivered change for the better over the last few years & with more to come, I’m sure. We simply as an industry have to move forward to reduce the awful impact of climate change, protect food security & support farm livelihoods."
221 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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