Debate contribution: Farm Sustainability Payment Scheme (Eligibility etc) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025

Debate contribution by Mr Patsy McGlone on 18 November 2025.

MLA

Mr Patsy McGlone

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

18 November 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Farm Sustainability Payment Scheme (Eligibility etc) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2025

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5244344

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I welcome the opportunity to speak in support of the Farm Sustainability Payment Scheme Regulations. The proposals represent a significant and necessary step towards a more resilient, productive and environmentally sustainable agriculture sector that can do well economically while meeting our environmental obligations and some of the other challenges that can no longer be ignored. What sets the regulations apart is the clear and constructive link between public investment and meaningful environmental action, which is important. The conditionality built into the scheme should be viewed not as a burden but as an opportunity. It ensures that the substantial public funding that goes into agriculture will help farmers to build long-term resilience financially and environmentally. By supporting improvements to soil health, the scheme encourages the practices that can build genuine sustainability. Healthy soils mean improved grass growth and reduced reliance on costly inputs. Those are practical, proven steps that strengthen farm businesses while enhancing the natural capital on which agriculture ultimately depends. The same is true of the incentives on livestock genetics. I have spoken to a number of people involved in that sector. Better genetics mean more productive and healthier animals, improved animal welfare and reduced emissions per unit of output. It is about future-proofing our livestock sector to ensure that Northern Ireland remains competitive while lowering its environmental footprint. When it comes to reducing emissions, agriculture must play its part along with the rest of us. The regulations support farmers to make those changes in a planned and supported way that works with the sector rather than against it. It is important to recognise that the regulations are not a sudden departure, nor are they an invention of the current Minister. They implement the policy intent set out by a previous AERA Minister, a DUP Minister, who, if I recall correctly, consulted on future agriculture policy proposals in 2022. What we see today is the continuation of a direction of travel that has already been endorsed across multiple Administrations and political leaderships. It is not a particularly partisan project, nor should it be. It is a long-term reform programme that recognises the need to link public funding to resilience, sustainability and productivity. It is important to highlight a particularly positive element of the regulations, which is the removal of the old in-field eligibility requirements. For years, those rules had the unintended effect of discouraging farmers from retaining or enhancing features such as hedgerows, scrub and other semi-natural habitats, despite their being some of the most valuable areas on farms for encouraging and supporting biodiversity, carbon storage and, indeed, water management. Their removal is a welcome correction, as it ensures that farmers are no longer penalised for protecting the very features that we now recognise as essential to a healthy landscape. Crucially, none of this is being rushed, nor would any of us wish it to be. The lead-in times for participation are reasonable and deliberately paced to give businesses time to prepare and adapt. Many farmers are already in the soil nutrient health scheme, which has already mapped the soil on a large proportion of many of our farms. Farmers' willingness to engage in that initiative shows that the sector understands the need for change and adaptability and is prepared to work with government to deliver it. Those steps will make a real difference to addressing some of the most serious environmental challenges, including the one at my back door: Lough Neagh. Better nutrient management, improved soil testing and more efficient use of slurry and fertiliser are exactly the kinds of measures that can reduce nutrient run-off while keeping farms productive and profitable. They demonstrate that environmental restoration and agriculture viability can and must go hand in hand. Yes, some people say that the stick is needed — there are circumstances in which that is the case — but let us not forget that the most successful instances are when people cooperate and are incentivised to do so. Throughout, farmers will continue to have an economic safety net. The scheme maintains the principle that public investment in agriculture is essential for food production, for rural communities and for the other services that farmers uniquely deliver. We must acknowledge the challenge ahead, however. If we want agriculture to deliver improved soil health, lower emissions, better water quality, restored habitats and a resilient food system, it must be funded at a sufficient scale to meet those ambitions. The regulations set the right direction, but they must be backed up by the right resources to support transition and change on farms. That is why having a multi-year agriculture budget is so crucial. Farmers cannot plan on one-year cycles. Environmental improvements cannot be delivered on one-year cycles. Long-term investment in genetics, technology, slurry storage and nutrient management requires long-term certainty for financial planning and business planning. A multi-year budget would give the sector the stability and confidence that it needs to plan, invest and innovate. The regulations respond to the pressures that farmers face and help address the environmental crisis that is before us. They help set agriculture in Northern Ireland on a path towards a more productive, sustainable and resilient future. The SDLP is pleased to support them.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:56 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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