Member's statement: Balmoral Show
Member's statement by Mr Robbie Butler on .
- MLA
- Mr Robbie Butler
- Party at the time
- Ulster Unionist Party
- Date
- 18 May 2026
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Balmoral Show
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5547934
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I want to pay tribute, as I am sure many Members will want to, to the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society (RUAS), which is based in Lagan Valley, on a very successful Balmoral show. I was delighted that the show moved from the King's Hall at Balmoral to Lagan Valley. That has worked out to be one of the greatest successes in platforming our farming and food industries and allowing people who live more in urban areas to mix freely with those who are the mainstays of what I consider to be the most important indigenous industry here, namely farming and food production. As many of you will know, having been there — I saw many of you at the show — the weather was slightly inclement, so I want to put on record my thanks, not only to the RUAS staff but to all who contributed to making the show such a successful event, whether that was Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council, the PSNI or the many volunteers, particularly those who stood outside in that inclement weather to direct pedestrians or direct traffic to parking spots. Over the four days, there were many opportunities for many of us to engage not only with the public and our constituents but, very importantly, with the farmers and food producers who underpin what has been quantified as a £7·3 billion a year industry that provides over 109,000 full-time equivalent jobs in Northern Ireland. I am not sure that there is another industry in Northern Ireland that provides such a wide variety of skilled and valued jobs. Last year's Balmoral show happened against the backdrop of the introduction of the dreaded inheritance tax, which, even after the changes, still looms over our family farmers in Northern Ireland. This year, the backdrop to the show was further pressures for our family farmers, namely the geopolitical instability that has led to the rise in fuel prices. Why should that matter to us? It matters because, if it is not resolved and if the Treasury in London does not take action on fuel duty in particular, we will see rampant "foodflation". People have become used to working out whether to heat or eat in winter but that option may not even be there, because "foodflation" could run ahead of itself. We really need to, collegiately, work together to lobby Treasury and the UK Government to take some meaningful action in that regard. I urge anyone who did not make it to this year's show to get it into your diary for next year, because it is the premier event in the agri-food and farming sector across these islands.
441 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not qualifying”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.03 (qualifying needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not qualifying).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-qualifying threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.04 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.03 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.48 | No |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-qualifying threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 0.91 |
| Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies | 0.05 |
| Another identity-related subject | 0.02 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.01 |
| Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty | 0.01 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:32 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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