Debate contribution: Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

Debate contribution by Mr Jonathan Buckley on 6 October 2026.

MLA: Mr Jonathan Buckley
Party at the time: Democratic Unionist Party
Date: 6 October 2026
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Private Members' Business
Heading: Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5776828

Text

Thank you, Mr Speaker. When preparing for the debate, my first question was whether the confidence of our communities in Andrew Muir as Agriculture Minister for Northern Ireland could sink any lower. That was what my mind focused on this morning, but the Alliance Party never fails to surprise us. This has been one of the most embarrassing acts in its time in office. Andrew Muir knows exactly what the feeling is among our rural constituents right now. He is not so aloof as not to understand their concerns — I am sure that he has an army of officials who understand just how fragile relationships are with our farming community — yet he chose to walk out. Along with every one of his party colleagues, he chose to turn his back on the Chamber, to turn his back on scrutiny and to turn his back on farmers' livelihoods. That is a damning indictment.
Naomi Long, his party leader, arrogantly came in and threw muck about this place like a muck spreader in a field. There was a bit for the DUP; a bit for the other unionists of the UUP and the TUV; and a bit for Sinn Féin and others. There was no accountability and no reflection on the Minister's actions. Mrs Long was keen to point out the flaws in debating the motion this week. The moment that there was a protest outside the Building during the summer, I pledged to table a motion of no confidence in Minister Andrew Muir. I said that it would not be party political, that it would be broad in its definition and that I would leave it in the Business Office to ensure that other Members had an opportunity to sign it. Twenty-seven Members signed the motion of no confidence. Twenty-seven Members therefore agreed:
"That this Assembly believes the Minister of Agriculture, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has lost the confidence of farmers, rural communities and the wider public".
I have not heard one contribution today that disagrees with that proposition. The Minister chose to turn his back and leave. I thank the Ulster Unionist Party and the TUV for signing the motion. The Sinn Féin contribution was baffling, however, because I sensed in it huge outrage at what happened in Fivemiletown. I sensed in it a recognition of the loss of confidence in a Department and a Minister. I say this clearly: this is not about traditional party politics but about whether we have confidence in a Minister and his direction and leadership of a Department. I call on Sinn Féin Members to put action to their words and vote for the motion. Vote for the motion, because the Minister, in correspondence with my colleague Mrs Erskine straight after the event, tried to justify his Department's actions in Fivemiletown. Vote against a Minister who has shown complete disregard for the House and its scrutiny and for the farming community. That would be the courageous thing to do. The first councillor to speak in outrage on the issue was a Sinn Féin councillor. That should tell us that the issue cuts across traditional party lines, but we will watch and the farming community will watch how every individual exercises their vote today. When we tabled the motion, I said, "We will see who speaks for the rural community. We will see who is prepared to stand up and speak for the farmer". Half of Sinn Féin's Members are missing from the Chamber, but how will they vote? We have heard the official Opposition, the SDLP, meekly suggest, "We'll just stay silent. We'll not push it to a vote". Where is its backbone to stand up and speak out against a Minister who has lost control? It is pathetic, to say the least, that an official Opposition who were keen to sign motions against other Ministers to which no thresholds applied are missing in action. Again, the leader of the Opposition's vote today will tell us a lot. Fivemiletown saw the culling — the shooting — of 51 healthy cattle. We see a Minister who attempted to smear, distract and mislead the public into believing that the 51 cattle were diseased, unhealthy and lame; it could not be further from the truth. In every image I have seen, they were healthy, calm and coherent animals. He tried to hide behind a court order that, he said, demanded the destruction of those animals: falsehood again. The court order did not call for the destruction of those animals. We have a party that wants to smear others in its pursuit of animal welfare, yet, with a high-velocity rifle in one hand and a blue Bill in the other, it has to own the execution of those 51 cattle. Young calves were shot and left as walking wounded; cows were found dead in the field while starting to calf. There is no accountability for Mr Muir in the House today. I have just been informed that the mailbox for the inquiry by Dr Blake is full of correspondence from farmers who want to get on record other instances where DAERA has acted disproportionately. I say this to Minister Muir: you walked out of the Eikon Centre on thousands of farmers and turned your back to scuttle away from their concerns. You have been scuttling away ever since. You have attempted to deflect and blame others. It is time that you were held accountable. Naomi Long came to the House to say that Alliance was in the business of getting on with its day job and is busy delivering for constituents and working on the practical realities of this place. She did not tell the Chamber that she has the lowest personal voting record of any Member of the House. She has the lowest physical presence of any Minister in the Executive. She has again been found missing in action. I would go further and say that she is the only member of the Executive who has confidence in the Agriculture Minister, but who is prepared to say it out loud? That will be the question today, because this is a Minister who has lost the farming community, whether it is about the nutrients action programme or the TB fiasco with healthy cattle, to the tune of millions of pounds, sent for slaughter every week because the Minister cannot get his act together to have a TB policy that protects livestock and the mental welfare of farmers. It has been a hugely disappointing day for the rural constituents of Northern Ireland, but let them remember this clearly: let it never be said that the Alliance Party is a champion for their issues, their causes and their livelihoods. Let it never be said again that the Alliance Party cares about that portfolio. To Sinn Féin and the SDLP I say this: if Aontú were in the Chamber today, they would vote for the motion. I am watching carefully. This is the canary in the coal mine. We are watching exactly where you are. No distraction. What happened in the last week is an issue we can debate on another day. Today is about standing up for our rural constituents, and we will make sure that they know exactly how you vote.

1,215 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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