Debate contribution: North/South Ministerial Council: Agriculture

Debate contribution by Mr Andrew Muir on 1 June 2026.

MLA

Mr Andrew Muir

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

1 June 2026

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Ministerial Statements

Heading

North/South Ministerial Council: Agriculture

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5580994

Read the official Assembly record

Text

With your permission, Mr Deputy Speaker, I wish to make a statement in compliance with section 52 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 regarding the thirtieth North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) agriculture meeting, which was held at the NSMC joint secretariat offices in Armagh on Friday 15 May 2026. Junior Minister Aisling Reilly MLA, junior Minister Joanne Bunting MLA and I represented the Northern Ireland Executive at the meeting. The Irish Government were represented by Martin Heydon TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Mr Heydon chaired the meeting. The statement has been agreed with junior Minister Reilly and junior Minister Bunting, and I make it on behalf of us all. It was a positive meeting, and a lot of progress was made. I will now take each paper in the order in which it was discussed. On the review of the work programme, the NSMC noted the continued implementation of the revised work programme for the agriculture sector, as agreed by the Council in May 2024, and the engagement between both Administrations to review common challenges faced by the agri-food sector in both jurisdictions. Ministers noted that there is sufficient scope in the existing framework to facilitate cooperation on those challenges. The Council acknowledged the ongoing efforts by officials from both jurisdictions to strengthen existing cooperation on animal health and welfare. Ministers welcomed the close collaboration and engagement that have taken place during times of epizootic disease incursions in both jurisdictions, including bluetongue virus (BTV) and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), to protect the high animal health status on the island. The Council noted the work under way in both jurisdictions to reduce the prevalence of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) across the island and welcomed the development of the €11·7 million cooperation project to tackle bovine TB as part of the Shared Island initiative. On cooperation on plant health and pesticides, the NSMC welcomed the ongoing commitment of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to proactively take steps to deliver the shared objective of achieving and maintaining good plant health status on the island. The Council noted the ongoing collaboration and sharing of expertise demonstrated through the UK and Ireland plant health coordination group meetings hosted by DAERA in August 2025 and by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in January 2026. Ministers welcomed the continued cooperation and the opportunities being explored for further joint research resulting from the DAFM visit to DAERA in March 2026, as well as the continuation of joint DAFM/DAERA simulation exercises to test plant health contingency plans in 2026. Ministers welcomed the continued cooperation on laboratory expertise, including the recent designation by DAFM of the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) as an official laboratory to carry out analysis, tests and diagnosis of bacterial, nematode and fungal pests of plants and pesticide residues in or on food. The NSMC welcomed the continued collaboration on pesticides through the North/South pesticides group as well as the ongoing exchange of information on pesticide issues. The Council acknowledged the good collaboration between DAERA and DAFM on research, innovation and bioeconomy. Ministers recognised the successful applications from Ireland and Northern Ireland on nine projects funded under Horizon Europe cluster 6 in the food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment sectors. The Council noted the funding of 11 projects over the past 10 years under the US-Ireland R&D partnership's agriculture theme. Ministers acknowledged progress on the funding of joint projects in both jurisdictions under the DAFM thematic research calls, including the three collaborating NI institutions' participation across six projects. The NSMC welcomed the announcement of two awards of almost €4·5 million each to support the development of bioeconomy in the agriculture and marine sectors, with co-funding from the Government of Ireland’s Shared Island initiative, DAFM and DAERA. The Council welcomed ongoing cooperation between DAFM and DAERA on identifying further opportunities for research collaboration under existing or new measures. The NSMC welcomed the ongoing cooperation between both Administrations on addressing climate change and loss of biodiversity in the agriculture sector. Ministers acknowledged the cooperation between DAERA and DAFM on the development of agrienvironment schemes and agreed that officials from DAFM and DAERA will continue to share experiences and lessons learned from the implementation of Ireland’s agri-climate rural environment scheme, particularly in relation to results-based payments and technology solutions. The Council noted the ongoing collaboration between DAERA and the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht on rural policy making, including through regular meetings of the North/South rural policy forum. The NSMC noted the ongoing investment in rural communities, including through the PEACE PLUS programme, and welcomed the commitment of the two jurisdictions to sharing learning on addressing rural isolation. The NSMC welcomed the important cooperation between both Administrations and the ongoing work to improve farm safety. The Council noted the joint inspection campaign delivered by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) and the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) through the North/South farm safety group to raise awareness of the dangers of working at height. Ministers welcomed the presentation by Embrace Farm and Rural Support on the services provided by them to farming and rural communities. The Council agreed to hold its next agriculture meeting in winter 2026. I look forward to working with my counterparts in the South on all areas of cooperation in the agriculture sector. I commend the statement to the Assembly and welcome any questions.

I believe in North/South cooperation; it is of real value. That is why it is important that we do it. The Member is looking for specific examples. There is a Shared Island cross-border initiative on TB. The Member is aware of the details of that, and it is important that we continue to work on it. We continue to work on a North/South basis on many issues, and I am committed to doing that.

Thank you, Robbie. A lot of work is done by governments in the North and South in cooperation with the farming sector. One key thing in the meeting was the presentation from Embrace Farm and Rural Support on the work that they provide. It is important that we continue to support them in that work in the time ahead, because collaboration is the way forward to address that critical issue.

It is not lost on me that farming is a very dangerous profession, and it is important that we all work together to address those concerns. There are too many lives lost and people injured in farming accidents, so cooperation is absolutely critical. That is why the meeting focused on that issue.

I am aware of the issue and the challenges, particularly the lack of response to queries being posed to Shared Environmental Services (SES). As a result, I had a productive engagement with Pilgrim's, and I have requested a meeting with Shared Environmental Services involving Pilgrim's, NIEA officials and me. They have agreed to that, and we are seeking to set that up as soon as possible. We need to find a way through the issues. They are of real concern to the industry. That is why I have stepped up, and I will seek to engage with Shared Environmental Services so that we can have a better response to the issues. We are aware that the issue does not sit with just one Department in the South; there are others. I will seek to do what I can. We have also invited the Northern Ireland Local Government Association (NILGA) along because I am conscious that Shared Environmental Services works on behalf of all 11 councils, and there is a role for NILGA in cooperation and partnership working around this. Hopefully, that update is helpful. We are seeking to address it at speed.

I am concerned to hear that. I am happy to engage with the Member on it. It is important that we get PEACE PLUS funding out on the ground to support the very good work that it is seeking to achieve. If the Member is happy, officials will follow up with her after the sitting.

There was a discussion on that, taking into account that my counterpart in the South, Martin Heydon, recently published a Bill on dog breeding establishments. We have also done an expert-led review on that, which was recently published. Officials are considering the recommendations in that, and we will set out a way forward in the time ahead. We are very conscious of the need to safeguard animal welfare, including for companion animals. The cross-border nature of that means that we must cooperate in regard to the risks associated with people exploiting that land border, and we will continue to cooperate on the issue.

We seek to cooperate quite closely on bluetongue and other diseases, such as avian influenza, because of the impacts across the island of Ireland. There is well-established, ongoing engagement between colleagues in DAERA and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) on the prevention, preparedness and response to outbreaks of episodic disease, such as avian influenza and bluetongue. Officials from both jurisdictions maintain routine communication channels at policy and operational levels. That includes regular meetings and information sharing to ensure that, where appropriate, an all-Ireland approach is taken. Both jurisdictions collaborate on horizon scanning through forums such as the all-island surveillance forum, particularly for transboundary issues such as avian influenza and bluetongue. There is collaboration on contingency planning, including joint participation in simulation exercises and preparedness activities. In the event of outbreaks, including the recent outbreaks of avian influenza and bluetongue on the island of Ireland, there has been extensive engagement, North and South, to ensure a coordinated response. The matter is being addressed at more than just an NSMC meeting, however. There is ongoing engagement between officials, as well as between Minister Martin Heydon and me.

I was pleased to launch the bovine TB regionalisation research pilot with my counterpart, Minister Martin Heydon, in Donegal in February this year. It is an innovative cross-border project that is supported by the Irish Government's Shared Island initiative and the UK Government's transformation funding, and it is intended to tackle the growing impact of bovine TB on farms in a pilot area that covers north-east Donegal and part of the Derry City and Strabane District Council area. It is the first time that a regionalised approach to the disease will have been trialled on the island of Ireland, and a coordinated package of measures will be undertaken. Subject to the approval of the necessary licences, the pilot is expected to include further research on the use of the test and vaccinate or remove (TVR) approach to wildlife intervention, alongside enhanced cattle testing, strengthened movement controls and improved on-farm biosecurity. I understand that sett survey work is progressing exceptionally well, and I am delighted with the level of uptake and engagement from farmers in the area. Findings generated through the initiative will provide important evidence to inform future bovine TB eradication policy on both sides of the border. Although the TVR approach is being used in the pilot, it does not preclude or set a direction for wider policy on wildlife intervention, on which we will consult in the next few weeks. I encourage people to respond to the consultation so that we can then take decisions.

Thank you, Andy. The island of Ireland is a single epidemiological area. It has a very close relationship with the European Union, and the issues associated with Brexit have caused challenges. I welcome the fact that the UK Government are finalising negotiations with the EU on a future SPS agri-food agreement. I hope that the negotiations will conclude in the next number of weeks, after which the UK Government can move to legislating based on that agreement. I have engaged with the UK Government on the matter, and I will continue to do so. As the UK and the EU seek to finalise negotiations, there are two issues of concern. One is associated with the movement of fish and wine, which will remain outside the scope of any agreement. I am concerned that those goods will still require checks at points of entry into Northern Ireland from GB. I will continue to engage with the UK Government to resolve the matter. The other issue to be addressed concerns seafood marketing standards. The detail in the SPS agri-food agreement on those issues is important, and I will continue to engage with the UK Government to make sure that any agreement works for Northern Ireland.

I will focus on the positive, which is that if we give space to nature and the environment, we will see the recovery that the Member reported. It is important that we also support such initiatives through the PEACE PLUS programme, and the North/South Ministerial Council can be the place where we cooperate in order to see the return of the curlew. That is on what we want to focus.

I am aware that the issue the Member outlines is more prevalent in the Republic of Ireland than in Northern Ireland. As part of the consideration of wildlife intervention on those issues, we have a blueprint for TB eradication, and we continue to deliver that, but we are also seeking to cooperate on a North/South basis. When the consultation on wildlife intervention starts, I encourage all Members to constructively engage with that.

As the Member will be aware from questions on that issue, we will shortly commence a consultation on wildlife interventions across Northern Ireland. That will be an opportunity for people to give feedback and for us to consider commencement and drafting of legislation associated with that, with Executive approval. I encourage the Member to engage in that consultation constructively, as he always does.

2,305 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:42 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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