Debate contribution: Farmers' Basic Payment Scheme

Debate contribution by Mr Colin McGrath on 7 October 2024.

MLA

Mr Colin McGrath

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

7 October 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Farmers' Basic Payment Scheme

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4579799

Read the official Assembly record

Text

The SDLP is clear that our amendment and our support for the motion is support for our rural communities. The agriculture industry in our rural communities contains some of the most vital businesses that we have in Northern Ireland. They support tens of thousands of jobs and generate billions of pounds of output. Getting the support funding right for the agriculture sector is not something that we should do but something that we must do, and we must do right. Our agriculture industry is the cornerstone of rural life, supporting economic prosperity in areas such as South Down that are otherwise overlooked by the Executive. Recent years have brought about significant changes for the industry. There is the impact of climate change requirements, the war in Ukraine impacting on prices, the very prices that farmers get at market for their produce, the weird weather patterns that we have had to contend with and, of course, Brexit, Brexit, Brexit and the impact that it has had on our farmers and rural communities. Getting the support intervention right is critical. As with any amendment to a motion, the question has to be this: what does the amendment do? We feel that there is a weakness in the motion, in that it simply calls for a continuation of the funding scheme as is. There is no reference to the policy changes taking place that are affecting practices. To proceed without acknowledging such policy changes would be a major fault of a funding scheme. I also highlight the fact that the motion ignores any reference to the rural development funding stream, pillar 2, which is in danger. We cannot leave that funding to the whim of the British Government's Shared Prosperity Fund or their Levelling Up Fund, as we do not know whether that funding will be delivered. The former rural development programme offered funding streams that helped agriculture and rural areas become more resilient and more sustainable. Those opportunities came via a number of schemes, such as the rural business investment scheme, the rural basic services scheme and the village renewal scheme. In my council area of Newry, Mourne and Down, for example, the village renewal scheme stands out, as it delivered over £3 million of rural village improvements to Annalong, Ballyhornan, Dundrum, Hilltown and other villages district-wide. Those environmental improvements enhanced the physical and social infrastructure of those villages. The funding allowed for widespread consultation, which informed each village's individual renewal design and included a combination of new paving, street lighting, gateways, railings, shrubbery and landscaping. I say that just to show that, while we have absolute support for our farmers, the impact reaches far beyond them, right down into the lives of people living in rural areas. That funding model allowed a bottom-up approach to community funding. Without doubt, it improved the economic prospects and quality of life of rural dwellers and made those rural communities more attractive and vibrant. Nowhere do we see similar funding opportunities, and that is why it was important that pillar 2 is referenced in our amendment. There is real evidence that we need to support our farming communities with funding but also recognise other funding streams that our rural communities need. We have heard Members refer to the lack of reference to a just transition in the amendment. There is such a reference, however, because we refer to:

"supporting farms to be financially viable and more environmentally sustainable",

which is at the core of a just transition. It is about helping those farms, providing them with funding and allowing them to move into more environmentally sustainable practices. The key, however, is to provide the support and to make sure that it is there. I will not reference any of the other comments that were made. We were all in the Chamber as they were made. Our agriculture sector is critical to the facilitation of jobs and economic prosperity in rural communities. Support for them is critical. We must also support rural funding for rural community development, which is critical for communities to connect, flourish and prosper. The SDLP is steadfast in its support for farmers and our rural communities, and I urge support for our amendment.

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

Assessment

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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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