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

Debate contribution by Mr Philip McGuigan on 23 March 2026.

MLA

Mr Philip McGuigan

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 5465731

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Second Stage of the Bill, and I commend my party colleague Declan McAleer for introducing it. The Areas with Natural Constraints Bill is fundamentally about fairness, certainty and long-term resilience for farms and farmers in our most challenging environments. The Bill will place a legal duty on the Department to design and maintain payment schemes that properly support areas facing significant natural limitations. As Declan said when he moved the Bill, land is not equal, and all farming land is not equal. The Bill can play an essential role in sustaining rural communities, where agriculture and small family farms are vital to the local economy and the social fabric of rural life. I represent North Antrim, and I can easily see how the Bill would bring real benefits to it and the neighbouring constituency of East Antrim. Whether it is the upland grazing areas in Loughguile, Cloughmills and the glens of Antrim; the coastal farmland in places such as Ballintoy, Carnlough and Glenarm, where farms are exposed to harsh Atlantic weather; or the remote hill farms where steep slopes restrict the use of machinery, the challenges are clear and unavoidable. In North Antrim, almost 32% of land falls within areas with natural constraints. In the neighbouring constituency of East Antrim, the figure is even higher at 61%. The Bill and the reinstatement of ANC support will therefore be hugely beneficial to the economic viability and long-term sustainability of farms in those and many other locations across the North beyond County Antrim. It is widely acknowledged that farmers who operate in areas with poor soil quality, steep gradients, difficult terrain and, as I said, harsher weather face barriers that simply cannot be overcome through hard work alone. The Bill recognises that reality. The farms that the Bill recognises are absolutely essential. By restoring financial support and placing the framework for ANC payments on a statutory footing, the Bill will give farmers the certainty that they need to make informed, long-term decisions. Its commitment to maintaining an uplift in payments in line with inflation ensures that support remains genuine and effective and keeps pace with the rising economic pressures that we are all too familiar with, whether that is through the cost of fuel or other essential inputs. Ultimately, the Bill is about safeguarding the future of hill farming. By recognising the additional burdens placed on the custodians of our land in constrained areas, it helps to secure the environmental and economic sustainability of such landscapes.

I accept one thing, which is that, if farmers cannot make a profit from farming their land, the environment will be damaged. Farmers are the custodians of our land and are responsible for its environmental upkeep. As colleagues have stated, farming is particularly beneficial in rural uplands and in areas of natural constraint. The issue that the Member raises is not one for Second Stage. He is introducing his own private Member's Bill, so he knows full well that there are opportunities to amend legislation as it proceeds through the House, unless, of course, his party and the DUP get their way and this Bill does not get beyond Second Stage. It is a Bill like any other, in that Members' views can be taken on board, but that cannot happen if it is voted down at this stage.

It is clear that we need our farmers to ensure the upkeep of environmental practices on our land, because nobody else will do it. The Bill will contribute to supporting environmental practice. It will also support the rural way of life and help prevent land abandonment, which has a detrimental impact on the environment. The Bill will help protect biodiversity and ensure that unique areas continue to be preserved, while contributing to our wider food security. As I said, the Bill will help sustain local economies and our agri-food supply chain and help maintain our landscape and natural heritage. I am pleased to support the legislation, given the positive impact that it will have on the farm families, farming communities and rural communities that I represent in North Antrim, those in East Antrim and those across the North.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:07 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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