Debate contribution: Farmers' Basic Payment Scheme

Debate contribution by Ms Sian Mulholland on 7 October 2024.

MLA

Ms Sian Mulholland

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

7 October 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Farmers' Basic Payment Scheme

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4579748

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I do not think that there is a Member in the Chamber who would deny the vital role that the agriculture sector plays in Northern Ireland. The farming and agri-sector is the backbone of my constituency of North Antrim. It sustains families through a wide-ripple network of connected sectoral businesses that are not often thought about when you think of farming. It adds so much to the local economy. Therefore, there is an onus on us all to ensure that it receives the support that it needs in these uncertain times, especially with the end of the basic payment scheme approaching and given the ongoing impacts of Brexit. In recent months, concerns have been raised consistently in my constituency office about that impending end to the agricultural funding package. With it set to expire, it is clear that future allocations must, at an absolute minimum, maintain current levels and, crucially, be uplifted for inflation to ensure that farmers can continue their vital work. Since coming into office, my party colleague Minister Andrew Muir has been proactive in his engagement with the UK Government on multiple occasions, fighting for the clarity and support for farmers that they so desperately need in this time of uncertainty. There may have been some criticisms, but he has been an unfaltering advocate for the farming community since coming into office. I have heard that consistently from people who have come into my office. At his September meeting with UK Government officials, the Minister stressed the importance of early decisions on future funding. He underlined Northern Ireland's role in UK food security, with 80% of the food that we produce being exported, with the majority of it going to Great Britain. Simply put, Northern Ireland's agri-food sector is absolutely vital to the food security of the UK as a whole. With £4·3 billion worth of exports annually, it is critical that any future settlement recognise that and the vital role that our farmers play in the economy. The Minister has also acted swiftly to avoid the challenges that we have seen in other parts of the UK, such as the disastrous £358 million underspend of the UK's agriculture budget over the past three years. Pushing for that early clarity and for inflation-proof payments to prevent Northern Ireland's farmers from facing the same uncertainty and financial strain is absolutely vital. Schemes such as the farm sustainability payment that is being rolled out under the Minister's leadership will hopefully ensure that stability. While we are now eight years down the road from Brexit and some have forgotten about it, we cannot ignore the ongoing negative impact that it has. It continues to affect farmers across North Antrim and across Northern Ireland as a whole. Certain parties in the Chamber supported Brexit and now shy away from discussing the harm that it has caused directly to our rural communities, but Alliance has, in addressing that impact, been clear that the promises that were made during the Brexit campaign have not been fulfilled. Farm incomes in Northern Ireland have dropped by 46% in the past year alone. Post Brexit, small family farms face uncertainty as a result of that falling income. As we move from the basic payment scheme to the farm sustainability payment in 2025, the Minister and our party have stressed that clarity is urgently needed. Without proper planning and information, like people in any other business in any other sector, farmers cannot make informed decisions for their businesses. Future payments must be index-linked to inflation. The £330 million allocated in 2020 should have increased to £390 million by 2023 to reflect rising costs. Farmers in my constituency face the rising costs of fuel, feed, medications and vaccinations, services and supplies, while their payments remain stagnant. We have heard that, without further investment from the Government, our farming communities will collapse. With a budget that has remained stagnant over the past number of years, however, there is only so much that the Department can do. I thank the signatories to the motion and those who tabled amendments. I assert my support for the farmers who make up a community that is so colourful and vibrant in North Antrim. Hopefully, more clarity and support will be forthcoming in the time ahead.

712 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:23 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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