Debate contribution: On-farm Investment

Debate contribution by Mr Andrew Muir on 17 June 2024.

MLA

Mr Andrew Muir

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

17 June 2024

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

On-farm Investment

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4496332

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. This has been a clear and useful debate, and I thank the Members who brought the issue to the House for discussion. I fully recognise the economic significance of the agriculture industry in Northern Ireland, and I wholeheartedly agree that investment in new and replacement farm buildings is essential to support our farm businesses and rural communities. It is important, however, that investment and development do not have adverse effects on our natural environment. I believe that we can strike a balance that allows the agriculture industry to thrive and be sustainable while protecting our environment. The key to that is making sure that new and replacement farm buildings are designed to deliver environmental improvement as well as to support economic outcomes. That is why the ammonia strategy and the operational protocol to assess the impacts of air pollution on the natural environment are so important. The operational protocol, also referred to as "standing advice", provides the scientific basis for my Department's statutory advice to planning authorities and other competent authorities on the impacts that plans and projects will potentially have on designated sites and protected habitats as a result of air pollution. In the past year, we have learnt how agriculture's footprint can extend to the environment far beyond the farm gate. High levels of excess nutrients, partly from agricultural sources, were a significant contributing factor to the blue-green algae issue in Lough Neagh. The effect of ammonia emissions from farms also has a negative impact on our beautiful countryside beyond the farm gate. There is scientific evidence to support that. Ammonia is a colourless gas that contains nitrogen, and it is invisible. It is released into the air as the result of many agricultural activities, and it causes air pollution. Ammonia and nitrogen can damage sensitive plants and habitats in the areas surrounding the source of the gas and further afield. The impacts of ammonia and nitrogen on land are not as visible to the untrained eye as a tide of blue-green algae. Monitoring of the state of our protected habitats and sensitive flora and fauna, however, clearly shows the scale of the negative impact of ammonia on the biodiversity and health status of iconic Northern Ireland landscape features such as peatlands and bogs. Sphagnum moss, the spongy green building block of our bogs, is directly damaged by high levels of ammonia and increased nitrogen levels. Conscious that the motion had been tabled and that the debate would occur today, I visited Ballynahone bog, near Maghera, on Thursday afternoon. I thank officials for supporting that visit in extremely wet weather. I have seen the impact that ammonia can have on our environment, and that is why I am here today to respond to the motion. The most recent report on air pollution in the UK showed that 93% of nitrogen-sensitive areas in Northern Ireland are experiencing levels of ammonia above the level required to protect sensitive species such as sphagnum, lichens, other mosses and heather. As I have previously stated, our natural environment is under significant pressure, and most indicators are moving in the wrong direction. That is true for ammonia. The National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) report shows that the annual total for ammonia emissions from agriculture in Northern Ireland continues to increase, reaching its highest-ever level of 32 kilotonnes in 2021, the most recent reporting year. The National Emission Ceilings Regulations 2018 include a commitment that the UK will reduce total ammonia emissions by 16% of the 2005 level by 2030. For Northern Ireland, that means that our current total ammonia emissions from agriculture need to be reduced by 24 kilotonnes by 2030. It is a challenging target that is compounded by the fact that our ammonia emissions continue to increase. That vicious circle must be interrupted by urgent action. In December 2023, DAERA decided to no longer rely on the published ammonia standing advice as the basis for statutory advice on planning applications. The decision was taken by a senior official in the Department under the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc) Act 2022. After careful consideration and in response to a potential legal challenge by the Office for Environmental Protection —.

I thank the Member for his intervention. The impact of the Office for Environmental Protection going down the road of legal action against the Department and the Department sitting on its hands and ignoring it would have been significant. I support the officials and their decision because, ultimately, the Minister and the Department should have dealt with this. We could have debated the issue in the Assembly; we could have considered the issue, but the people of Northern Ireland were denied that opportunity. There are now Ministers in post, and I welcome the fact that we can debate the issue in the Chamber and discuss its merits. However, when the Office for Environmental Protection comes a-knocking, action needs to be taken, and that is what officials did. As a result of the decision, my Department, through the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, is providing planning authorities with case- and site-specific advice on a case-by-case basis. That will remain the case until the new ammonia strategy and updated operational protocol are agreed and in place — hopefully, later in this year. The updated operational protocol will support the Department's statutory obligations to safeguard our natural environment. I acknowledge that the revised operational protocol will have implications for the consideration of new and replacement farm buildings. However, I do not believe that investment in our agriculture industry can proceed at the cost of our environment. Therefore, in response to the call made by Members, I am content to fully support farm development and the modernisation of farm facilities. However, the way forward is through investment in modern, fit-for-purpose farm facilities that promote animal welfare, are environmentally compliant and reduce further emissions. To date, my Department has offered £67 million in grant support to the farming industry under the farm business improvement scheme, which is a capital support scheme. Of that, approximately £14 million or 21% has been made in relation to ammonia mitigation. I intend to bring forward a capital investment measure under the new programme of farm support and development that will provide financial support to help businesses improve their environmental performance. Initially, it will focus on support for technology and equipment to reduce ammonia emissions, carbon emissions and nutrient loss, and it follows on from the significant support already provided by my Department. I hope that that addresses, in part, the concerns raised by Members and also the recent research conducted by KPMG on behalf of Northern Ireland's agri-food industry. I am well aware of the potential economic impact of farm ammonia mitigation measures, which were also set out in case studies in the call for evidence on the future operational protocol. I acknowledge that the delivery of my Department's statutory obligations to safeguard our natural environment and ensure sustainable development will have impacts where additional on-farm investment in ammonia mitigation measures is required. The investment required will vary depending on the details of the specific farm and the specific proposal subject to consideration under the new operational protocol. However, as I have asserted, the new programme of farm support and development provides financial support to help farm businesses improve their environmental performance. On that — there was a question from Tom Elliott to Eóin Tennyson — I am working with the Finance Minister on the future agriculture budget for Northern Ireland, because commitments were given until the end of March next year and, obviously, there are concerns about the road map for after that. There will be announcements in the time ahead on what we are doing together, as Finance Minister and Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, on the budget and how it links through to a just transition fund for agriculture. I get the importance of the issues, and that is why Caoimhe and I are working together on this. The more money we can provide for capital support on these issues, the easier the journey ahead. We get the importance and are working hard to address that. The specific details of the impact on the natural environment of new or replacement farm buildings must be scientifically verified and must comply with the relevant environmental protection legislation. The new operational protocol delivers the legislative requirement to assess the impacts of air pollution on the natural environment in the provision of advice to planning authorities. The draft ammonia strategy sets out measures that show how investing in the right equipment can help to reduce the harmful release of ammonia into the air even where the total number of livestock on the farm would be increased. I note that Members have called for consultation with the agri-food industry on the strategy and for the needs of primary producers to be fully considered. I am content to take that forward and intend to build on the consultation that has already taken place. During the public consultation on the draft ammonia strategy and a separate call for evidence on the future operational protocol, in 2023, my officials undertook a comprehensive programme of stakeholder engagement. That included public information events across Northern Ireland and further engagement with representative organisations and individuals. As a result, both the strategy and operational protocol have been developed further, and I intend to update representative organisations on the most recent developments on ammonia before the end of this month. That is a commitment that I have given them, and we are planning it in the diary. Today, I have set out how the draft ammonia strategy and the revised operational protocol pave the way for environmental protection. Rather than constraining the industry, my Department has supported investment in ammonia mitigation measures and the development of farm facilities and will continue to do that through future farm support measures. Therefore, I cannot agree to the Members' call to reject the policy direction set out by the ammonia strategy and the operational protocol. I recognise that tackling the challenge of ammonia emissions in Northern Ireland will present additional financial challenges and the degree of challenge will vary between farms. It is not in my interest or anyone else's to hinder investment and economic development of the agriculture industry in Northern Ireland. I reiterate that this cannot be done at the expense of our natural environment and our beautiful countryside.

I thank the Member for his intervention. I know the frustrations about the turnaround and the response times from NIEA as a statutory consultee, and we are doing all that we can within the limited budget that we have to address that. I will continue to move forward with policies that address ammonia emissions and help us to meet our commitments under the National Emission Ceilings Regulations and statutory obligations. We all share the same aim: to protect and improve our natural environment and ensure the sustainable development of our agriculture sector. That needs to be achieved in as timely a manner as possible, and I recognise that it is likely to be a longer process than any of us would like. However, as I have highlighted in other contexts, tackling ammonia emissions cannot be seen in isolation from the natural environment more generally, and we cannot tackle its problems in isolation either. Therefore, I look forward to similar support from Members when I bring forward my environment strategy, which, I hope, the Executive will adopt as Northern Ireland's first environmental improvement plan. If I have another minute, I have one other point to make. The point about betterment has been raised by a number of Members, and officials addressed it at the Committee meeting last week, on Thursday, at CAFRE in Greenmount.

I understand the points that were made, but the advice that we have received is very clear: there is no legal basis for the use of the betterment approach, and if there are adverse effects as a result of the development, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency is legally obliged to advise of such, even if those adverse effects are a reduction compared with the impact of the existing building. I know that that was considered at the Committee.

I thank the Members for proposing the motion, and for what has been a useful debate. My officials and I will review the Hansard report afterwards for the points that have been made. Believe me, this is something that I have put my energy into. There are lots of issues in the Department, but, as officials know, we have met on this matter on a number of occasions. I have agreed to engage with stakeholders later this month. We are listening. I am very conscious of my legal obligations, as any Minister would be in this position. We are looking to find a way forward. The capital funding through the UK Government that has been earmarked to support —.

Yes. It is absolutely critical that we have that funding to support our agriculture industry here in Northern Ireland.

2,182 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 10:43 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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