Debate contribution: Agriculture Bill: Second Stage

Debate contribution by Mr Andrew Muir on 3 December 2024.

MLA

Mr Andrew Muir

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

3 December 2024

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Agriculture Bill: Second Stage

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4690909

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I am grateful for Members' contributions to the debate. I will try to respond to the key points that were made. I will also check the Hansard report and, where appropriate, follow up with individual Members in writing if I miss anything inadvertently, as I do not want anyone to feel left out. Robbie, as Chair of the Committee, raised a number of legitimate points. One of them was on a potential liability arising from changes that DEFRA might make in England. Under the current rules, claims could come from POs that are headquartered in Northern Ireland. However, some of those growers are located elsewhere in the UK, so DAERA would have a duty to support those POs to the potential detriment of local growers or other agriculture support. I am aware of the developments on where DEFRA is going on that, which is one of the reasons why we need to get the legislation progressed. We need to support our local growers in Northern Ireland. The other issue that the Chair of the Committee raised was on seasonal workers and the worry that there could be a double whammy in the pressures that we face in that respect. Hopefully, in my opening remarks, I gave a necessary level of assurance on the support that I want to continue to give. It is a sector that is important, and it is one that I wish to see grow for many different reasons, particularly environmental ones. In addition, it produces food that we export beyond Northern Ireland to great fame, and we should encourage that. I am very aware of the concerns about the impact on seasonal workers. That is why I have written to the UK Government. I have also engaged with the Economy Minister, who is taking the lead on the issue: we are seeking to get the UK Government to listen to the concerns. There are certain sectors — for example, the mushroom sector — in which automation, which is what the UK Government desire that we pursue, is not as practical as it is in others. That is why I will continue to do the work on that, and I hear the concerns about seasonal workers. Patsy McGlone raised the issue of a more comprehensive agriculture Bill. Initial scoping is under way on that. It is about giving the Department the necessary powers to take forward the interventions that we need. If you give me time to go through that process, we will see what steps we can take after that. It comes back, again, to stop-go government. The Scottish Parliament and the Senedd essentially have a baton race, from one mandate to the next, progressing legislation and taking things forward. We have not been able to do that in Northern Ireland because of stop-go government. We need to understand that that has implications, not just for public services but for legislation and policy development in Northern Ireland. I will continue to highlight that. On the concerns that you raised, Patsy, on the funding and whether it will stop, hopefully I have used a form of words that provides the necessary level of assurance. There is a need for us to be able to give a bit more clarity on those issues, and the review is under way. It should report towards the end of this year, subject to staff resources. After that, I will take some time to reflect on next steps. As Michelle outlined, engagement on that with stakeholders will be crucial. I found my engagement with stakeholders to be very productive. That took place not just in my office, but while I was out and about visiting, particularly the apple industry in County Armagh, for which we are famous.

I will have that engagement, and I will not be found wanting in that, because it is absolutely key.

Patsy pointed out that this is one of the consequences of Brexit, which it is. The point is that my approach is different from that of others, because I am focused on solutions. I see what is here and the issues that have presented themselves since the referendum in 2016. We could talk about the problems — we could talk quite a lot about that — but we are in public office to work through those issues pragmatically. That is what I seek to do, because we owe it to the people of Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland voted to remain, but we left the EU, so we will work through the issues arising from that. There was one last point that was raised — I hope that I have missed nothing — and there was dialogue between John and Robbie about the uptake of previous schemes, particularly in relation to apple growing. That probably demonstrates why we want to bring the legislation through. The Committee can potentially tease that out at Committee Stage to help us to form judgements on future support so that we can target that support and ensure uptake. It is regrettable that there was not the same level of uptake in some industries; perhaps that was because of the administration involved and the need to follow certain procedures to access it. I am keen to see it happen. I have been in County Armagh a couple times. I got apples and turned them into apple crumble. Actually, I will admit to the House that it was my mother, not me, who made the crumble, and she did a good job. I hope to have the opportunity to do that again. Last Wednesday, I was able to enjoy an excellent apple crumble at Annagh Social Farm in County Fermanagh. All parts of Northern Ireland produce good produce for us to enjoy. As we move towards the conclusion of the debate, we can, hopefully, consider how to go forward from Second Stage. The issues raised in the Chamber reflect the points raised by stakeholders during the consultation. As I said, I met mushroom growers and heard first-hand the case for the FVAS, with stakeholders setting out the scheme's strengths and its comprehensive nature, including the environmental and climate change benefits. They also noted its potential for the development of other horticultural sectors. In my opening speech, I reiterated my aspirations for the sector more generally. I am passionate about seeing its growth in Northern Ireland. Therefore, I acknowledge calls for the continuation of support for the mushroom sector, in particular. I stress again that I have made no decisions on the future of the scheme here or on support for the horticulture sector more widely. A lot of people know that I want to support it. I will not take decisions until I have considered the outcome of the ongoing review of the FVAS and the planned review of food promotions. However, as I said, I and future Executive Ministers must have full scope to decide our funding priorities, including the levels of funding, in order to ensure that support is provided where it provides best value for money and to target it where it best meets local need. I therefore hope that Members will agree that it is an unsustainable position for a Minister not to have control over their budget allocation. It is essential to be able to set departmental funding priorities and to allocate the available budget accordingly. It is now even more important that I, as the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, can make those decisions. That is what devolution is about. As Members will be aware, the budgetary allocation for farming is no longer earmarked by the EU or by Westminster and will be part of the wider Northern Ireland block grant from April next year. That is a new horizon for us, because, previously, that funding came in seven-year tranches from the EU. I am aware of the uncertainty around that. Hopefully, through the agreement of a draft Budget by the Executive, we can give some reassurance to our farming community. Without making the FVAS funding discretionary, there is a risk that our commitments under the legacy scheme may become unaffordable and that other DAERA priorities are not adequately supported. I have given assurances that I wish to support the horticulture sector and help it to develop and grow. Therefore, there are no plans to close the FVAS here. The previous UK Government made legislation that would close the FVAS in England at the end of the current programme in December 2025 and replace it with a new scheme from 2026. The Chair touched on the implications of that. I appreciate that uncertainty around the UK Government's new position is a concern for all UK growers and that it particularly impacts on those in Northern Ireland who are members of POs headquartered in England. My officials will continue to liaise with their counterparts in DEFRA and across the UK to clarify their intentions and the implications for local stakeholders and, of course, for the Northern Ireland Budget. I note the calls for alignment with the scheme as it has continued to develop in the EU since Brexit and the fact that stakeholders see that local growers are already at a disadvantage compared with their nearest competitors. I have heard that loud and clear. To that end, the Bill's enabling powers allow for the scheme to be amended, whether that is in line with developments elsewhere or simply to develop support that works best for Northern Ireland for our ambitions for a more sustainable agri-food sector. I welcome support for that aspect of the Bill. In closing, I thank Members for their contributions, for the questions and issues that they raised and for their support for the Bill's Second Reading. It is a short Bill that will make support under the FVAS discretionary, the statutory requirement to do so being a legacy of its being an EU scheme and not appropriate in the post-EU exit world that we live in. Doing so does not, however, signal any plans to end the scheme here, and I have made no decisions on future funding ahead of the completion of reviews of the FVAS and of support for the sector more widely. The Bill will also allow for the two legacy schemes in question to be amended as necessary and appropriate in order to best reflect local policy and needs. I and my officials look forward to working closely with the Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee as it begins its important scrutiny role. I commend the Bill to the House.

1,761 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:42 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

Disagree with this assessment?

Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.

Challenge this classification