Debate contribution: Upland Sheep Farmers: Support

Debate contribution by Mr Tom Buchanan on 25 November 2024.

MLA

Mr Tom Buchanan

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

25 November 2024

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Upland Sheep Farmers: Support

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4675146

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. As many across the Chamber have said today, the sheep sector in Northern Ireland plays a significant role in the regional economy, with output surpassing £100 million in 2023 and the sector making up 38% of our farm businesses. We must, therefore, be committed to protecting those livelihoods, realising the potential to make sheep farms in all areas and land types efficient, resilient and profitable. Sheep farming, like most other agriculture sectors, is faced with the challenge of an ageing workforce, and, again, that has been mentioned by a number of Members today. For it to be resilient, the sector must not only be profitable enough to make sheep farming an attractive career option but have a pathway for new entrants and farm succession. Delivering such a pathway will be down to fair taxation and investment in food security and a strategic national assessment. Agriculture support measures should not be in the business of taking money off farmers whose incomes are already going down in order to supplement other farm businesses. Farmers in ANCs got significant uplifts in funding through the way in which the single farm payment is now distributed, and, rather than regressive further area-based payments, we need programmes focused on efficiency and resilience in order to support productive, profitable and sustainable farms. Any new sheep scheme or restoration of ANC payments in the absence of an additional funding injection for the overall farm support budget would inevitably lead to money being taken off other sectors that are already struggling, and that would be of greater disadvantage to the entire agriculture industry. We need to bear that in mind when we are looking at the issue. I will deal with some of the issues that Members have raised. The proposer of the motion talked about sheep farming being about more than farming and it being about food security and sustainability. I think that we all agree with that. He talked about the flock performance and the importance of that for future development of the sheep industry, and he talked about the Ulster Farmers’ Union's sheep scheme. He also said that sheep farming complements our rural farmland but must be adequately supported. That message has come right around the Chamber today. He said that the Minister has a key role to play in all of this, and I think that we will all agree that the Minister has a key role. We hope that the Minister will take it forward positively. My colleague Michelle McIlveen, in proposing the amendment, spoke of the important role that sheep farmers play in the Northern Ireland economy. She talked about the 38% of farms and about the sheep industry's value of £106 million, contributing to over 9,800 businesses. By 2025, sheep farms, she said, would lose 17% of the basic payment scheme, and she said that there was no inclusion of sheep-specific support in DAERA's future agricultural policy. She urged the Minister to maintain regular engagement with the task force, which has five key asks of the Minister. Of course, she spoke about the importance of a genetic improvement scheme that would increase the value of the lambs produced and about how sheep farms need to be profitable and attractive to younger people for them to come into the sector. John Blair spoke about the carbon footprint of sheep farming in the uplands being 8% lower than that of the lowlands, and he mentioned the task force report. We encourage the Minister to keep in regular contact and engage with the task force on the importance of the sheep industry. Robbie Butler spoke about the important role of the sheep industry in the economy, the economic benefits of sheep farming in the uplands and the many sheep farmers who are grappling with financial pressures. He also called on the Minister to outline robust plans for the protection of the industry.

The Minister said in his opening remarks that sheep are his favourite animal. Sheep are prone to going astray, so I hope that you do not go astray, sir, and will stay focused on the issue.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:40 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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