Debate contribution: The draft Farming with Nature Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025

Debate contribution by Mr Andrew Muir on 19 May 2025.

MLA

Mr Andrew Muir

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

19 May 2025

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

The draft Farming with Nature Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4968902

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you very much, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I thank everyone for the constructive comments. From my officials' feedback, I know that engagement on the Farming with Nature scheme at the Balmoral show was extremely positive, and people are looking forward to taking part in it. I thank the officials, who did a great job over the four days of the Balmoral show. The DAERA stand was really impressive, as was officials' engagement more broadly. I will try to swerve back so that I do not stray too far from talking about Farming with Nature, but the Balmoral show was a really good example of the farming with nature that is occurring and of what is best about our agri-food industry. I am proud of us for putting our best foot forward over those four days. It is important that I deal with some of the comments that were raised. In particular, the Committee Chair asked whether the scheme will be voluntary. The plan is for it to be voluntary. The Chair asked that important question, and, hopefully, people are happy with my clarification. Patsy McGlone asked about funding, knowledge transfer and support. There is funding in the Budget this year for Farming with Nature: £4·8 million of capital. It is really important that we grasp the opportunity for the next Budget, which, hopefully, will be a three-year resource Budget and four-year capital Budget that will give certainty to everyone about Farming with Nature and more broadly as well. I was the only Minister in the UK to get agreement for funding to be ring-fenced for agriculture, agrienvironment, fisheries and rural development in this financial year and future financial years, and I was glad to get that agreement. Once we get that envelope, we can hopefully give people a bit more reassurance, particularly over Farming with Nature, because it is important that we plan around the scheme for the long term. Declan raised another issue, which was about taking learning from other schemes. We have sought to do that. I thank everyone who engaged on that from the agriculture and environment community, because it is really important that their voices were heard and that they provided input to shape something that is fit for purpose. Members could be told different stories about the EFS in the South, which has now become the agri-climate rural environment scheme (ACRES), and about the environmental land management (ELM) schemes in England. Lots of learning is to be taken from those schemes. We have lost pace in rolling out agrienvironment schemes in Northern Ireland, so we are seeking to make a start on the roll-out of Farming with Nature from next month. Declan asked about the cap, which is an important point. The cap will be £9,500 a year, and you can apply every year. The scheme will be run for two years initially, and we will then review it before considering any further roll-out. A point was raised about farm sustainability standards. This year, Farming with Nature is not linked to those standards, because they are still to be finalised, but there is a desire to consider how that relationship will emerge. The discussion about farm sustainability standards is separate, however. Declan also outlined the challenge of getting the scheme out before the end of the financial year. I do not underestimate that challenge. We seek to progress the scheme as quickly as possible. I appreciate the Committee's engagement, but the pace of progress will be important. I look to everyone here to promote the scheme so that people can take it up. It will hopefully be popular, but it is a voluntary scheme, so we also hope that we can encourage people to become involved. It is important that we get people to buy into the scheme and that we support them to do so. I will move on to other points. Michelle McIlveen raised some issues of which I am aware that were raised in Committee. Her points were consistent with what was said in Committee. I recognise her concerns about the complex nature of the nutrients action programme. That is why I have extended the consultation by four weeks to give people the opportunity to consider it and respond. I will return to Farming with Nature. John asked about the relationship between farming and nature: that is why it is called "Farming with Nature". Understanding that there is an interrelationship between the two is key. Farmers are the custodians of our countryside and the people who are helping us deliver the change that is required to allow nature recovery and to address biodiversity loss. John asked about the EFS, and I want to be open. When I came into office, a policy decision was made to move towards Farming with Nature, which is what I am presenting to Members today. We are looking to scale up, and the Farming with Nature transition scheme is not the ceiling of my ambition. We have to move at pace with Farming with Nature, however. We need to make it the focus of our resources. The EFS will therefore not be open for future applications.

I know that that is difficult, but our sole focus is on getting Farming with Nature out on the ground and scaled up so that farmers can access it. It is important that I give that clarity.

I have made a strong commitment to Farming with Nature and to agrienvironment support schemes. That is why I secured ring-fenced funding for agriculture, agrienvironment, fisheries and rural development and why I will continue to engage with the Committee on the journey ahead with Farming with Nature. I am very grateful for the fantastic work by farmers across our country on enabling nature recovery and respect for biodiversity. We want to give them the tools to do that. The Farming with Nature transition scheme is the start of that journey. I thank the members of the Committee who engaged in the Committee process. There will be further secondary legislation that will be subject to negative procedure. Thanks for the opportunity to engage on this matter and for the support. We are all together on giving people the tools through Farming with Nature.

1,039 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:38 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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