Debate contribution: Areas with Natural Constraints (Payments) Bill: Second Stage

Debate contribution by Miss Áine Murphy on 23 March 2026.

MLA: Miss Áine Murphy
Party at the time: Sinn Féin
Date: 23 March 2026
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Private Members' Business
Heading: Areas with Natural Constraints (Payments) Bill: Second Stage
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5465725

Text

I very much welcome the Bill that has been introduced by my party colleague. I want to focus not just on farming policy but on the broader sphere of rural communities. In County Fermanagh, 92% of land falls within areas of natural constraint. Farming in my county is not just another industry; it is the foundation on which entire communities and local economies are built and, indeed, sustained. Most of those farms are small, family-run operations, and many farmers work part-time, balancing full-time jobs with early mornings and late nights on the farm. They are working incredibly hard on tight margins, with little room to absorb rising costs, market pressures or policy change. The reality is that farmers in ANCs face challenges that other farmers simply do not. Their land is poor, the terrain is steeper and the costs are higher. Unlike more productive lowland farms, such holdings are limited by the land itself. That is what defines an ANC, and that is exactly why financial support is necessary. When a farm becomes unviable, the consequences do not stop at the farm gate. We risk weakening the entire agri-food chain from local marts to hauliers, processors and, of course, suppliers. Each farm may seem small on its own, but, together, they sustain a much wider rural economy. Beyond economics, there is something even more important at stake, which is our rural communities and our rural life. If those farms disappear, families move away, our schools struggle, local services decline and communities that have existed for generations begin to fade. Once that decline begins, it is extremely difficult to reverse. We also need to recognise the role that those farms play beyond food production. They are the custodians of our environment. Our upland biodiversity, carbon-rich soils and traditional landscapes exist because those farms remain active and manage that land. Without farmers, we often see scrub encroachment, increased fire risk and a loss of manageable habitats.
No, not at the minute. The Bill is not only about providing additional financial support; it recognises the essential role that those farmers play in sustaining communities, protecting our environment and supporting the wider rural economy. Other regions understand that. In the Twenty-six Counties and in Scotland, support continues because representatives value farm communities and farm families. Continued failure to act will cause problems for our rural economies, for communities and for the long-term management of our land. At its heart, the Bill is about keeping people on the land not just today but in the future. It is about ensuring that rural families can continue to live and work in and contribute to the communities that they call "home". In that vein, we have the opportunity to deliver for our farm families, who have been overlooked for far too long. With reference to comments that the Member opposite made, we will not take lectures from the DUP when it comes to developing policy. The Member talked about "playing fast and loose" with policy. That Member is from the party that delivered the renewable heat incentive (RHI) scheme and delivered Brexit, which has been detrimental to our farm communities. In that vein, it will not be lost on farm communities across Fermanagh, West Tyrone and East Derry that the DUP and the Alliance Party will go through the Lobbies this evening to vote against support for our farmers. My colleagues and I will stand up for our constituents who farm ANC land, and I ask others across the Chamber to do the same.

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

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