Debate contribution: Agriculture Bill: Final Stage

Debate contribution by Miss Michelle McIlveen on 30 June 2025.

MLA

Miss Michelle McIlveen

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

30 June 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Agriculture Bill: Final Stage

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5043497

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Like you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker, I extend my condolences to John on the passing of his father; it is the first time that I have seen him since then. The DUP stands four-square behind the principle that, after decades in the EU, locally accountable Ministers should be able to bring forward proposals to support our agri-food sector; however, that has to go hand in hand with financial certainty and security for growers who are supported under the existing FVAS. As we articulated throughout Committee Stage, we were concerned about the Minister's intention to move to a discretionary model, which is framed in clause 1, without providing concrete proposals on what would come next. Those concerns were also articulated by the mushroom sector. Those acting on its behalf felt that the withdrawal of the 4·1% match funding for producer organisations and the lack of support for the three proposed horticultural pilot schemes in particular disadvantaged them. It was unfortunate that the emphasis on that left the broader principle of the Bill behind. As we know, the role of the mushroom sector is significant in horticulture in Northern Ireland. It produces 40% of our output and over 10% of UK mushrooms, including 50% of organic mushrooms; that is not insignificant. However, the sector, understandably, feels under pressure not only because of the support issue but — we have raised this on numerous occasions — from labour challenges. I remain concerned by the suggestion from mushroom growers during Committee Stage that the Department's engagement with them on the drafting of the Bill left much to be desired. Sadly, that is a theme that we see more and more often with policies, strategies and legislation. I ask the Minister — I plead with him, because we have seen that pattern of behaviour — not to let that happen again. It should not have taken the Committee's expression of concern to prompt the Minister to begin preparatory work on the co-design of a replacement scheme or, indeed, to provide assurances that POs in Northern Ireland will be able to submit a new operational programme for approval under the current scheme beyond the end of the calendar year. However, we welcome the certainty that has been provided. It is of little assurance to mushroom growers or those of us on these Benches that the design and detail of future schemes will be left to secondary legislation, with the limited opportunity that we will have to scrutinise that. I have stood on my soapbox in the House and in the Committee on our role: should we really give the Department and the Minister a blank cheque in that respect? I am not sure that I want to do that, but, sadly, it comes down to trust. The FVAS has played a crucial role in reducing barriers to entry to markets for farmers and producers. It enables them to meet standards in order to trade and to avail themselves of support for environmentally sound cultivation practices and production techniques. That is the only funding stream for mushroom producers, however. What we have before us gives us no indication of future support. Those qualms will not have been eased by the Minister's decision to reject the proposal from producers that he baseline support at 4·1% of value of marketed production sales. I welcome the U-turn by the Minister during Committee Stage to allow time for his officials to work with the sector. There is no shame in that at all, and I encourage him to reflect on the merits of that approach in respect of other policy areas. I encourage the Department to work at pace with the mushroom sector to develop an action plan and provide support that will allow growers to access new technologies in order to increase their productivity and plan for a sustainable future. I place on record the fact that it is only because of the later representations that were made by those acting on behalf of the industry that I now support the legislation. To be fair to the sector, I want the Minister to move at pace, reaffirm his commitment to a process that is based on co-design principles and confirm a timeline for the introduction of secondary legislation before the end of the mandate. I thank the officials who came to Committee nearly weekly — it was a painstaking process for them, I am sure — and the Committee staff.

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

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:06 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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