The Assembly’s agri-food agenda
The Agriculture and Rural Development Committee’s Chair, Paul Frew, talks to Richard Halleron about how it represents the farming and food industries.
Paul Frew MLA, the current Chairman of the Assembly’s Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, can trace his deep interest in local farming back to the days when he regularly visited his grandfather’s farm near Kells.
“As a family we have always had a deep love for the farming way of life,” he told agendaNi. “And while I do not have a day-to-day, practical involvement with the sector, I am fully aware of the important role it continues to play at the very heart of our economy. So when asked if I would be happy to allow my name go forward as a nominee for the position of Agriculture [Committee] Chairman at Stormont, I immediately said yes.”
Frew believes that his background makes him well placed when it comes to ensuring the committee does its job of scrutinising the work of the Minister, her department and all the proposed legislation that will have a direct bearing on the farming and food sectors.
“I was appointed to the position of committee Chair back in 2011 and during the intervening period, I feel that members have worked well to help to secure the best possible future for our farming and food sectors,” he further explained.
Significantly, Paul Frew believes that farming in Northern Ireland is on the brink of a golden era.
“The world’s population is set to grow by 50 per cent between now and 2050,” he commented. “Most of this population increase will take place in countries like China and India, regions of the world where tremendous economic growth can also be expected. So, yes, there will be more mouths to feed in the world. But, the higher standard of living that will continue to be enjoyed in places like South East Asia will ensure that consumers there will have the money to pay for the extra food they need. And, undoubtedly, this will be a good news story for Northern Ireland as we export eighty-five per cent plus of the food that we produce.”
Farm support
Commenting on the current structure of local agriculture, Paul Frew pointed out that the industry is made up of both part-time and full-time producers.
“Looking to the future, it is crucially important that the support monies made available to agriculture are directed, preferentially, towards those farmers whose businesses are solely committed to the production of food. “These are the people with the capacity to grow the industry over the years ahead,” he stressed. “And the Executive at Stormont must recognise this when it comes to making decisions on behalf of agriculture during the period ahead.”
The Chairman believes that the first opportunity to present itself in this context will be the outworking of the ‘Going for Growth’ strategy, published by the Agri-Food Strategy Board last May. The work undertaken by this organisation, which is chaired by Moy Park Director Tony O’Neill, points to a number of key opportunities opening up for the farming sand food sectors over the coming years.
Significant growth is expected within the dairy, poultry and redmeat industries. However, according to the Going for Growth strategy, the full realisation of these opportunities will require a funding injection into the agri-food industry of some £500 million on the part of the Executive. In turn, this should help the sector grow its annual turnover from the current £4.4 billion figure up to £7 billion plus over the next number of years.
Paul Frew again: “The Going for Growth document is currently with Farm Minister Michelle O’Neill and her Enterprise [Minister] colleague Arlene Foster. And I am hopeful that they will both settle on an adequate funding and investment package for the agri-food industries. There is a key requirement for a significant capital development spend within both sectors over the coming years.
“I am also mindful of the fact that the Republic of Ireland is currently working through the detail of its ‘Harvest 2020’ strategy and that a long-term growth strategy for farming and food is in the process of being drawn up for Great Britain. Given these developments, Northern Ireland must be allowed to keep pace with its nearest neighbours.”
Turning to the ongoing CAP reform debate, Paul Frew welcomed the general outline of the agreement reached in Brussels last June.
“It was important that we got that deal struck while Ireland hosted the Presidency of the EU. And, in this regard, Farm Minister Coveney must be commended for the work that he put in,” he remarks.
“The key requirement for Northern Ireland now is to ensure that we secure the longest possible lead-in period, regarding the implementation of the new policies. In this way, we will give our farmers the best possible chance of acclimatising to the new support measures.”
Funding
He then went on to confirm that Farm Minister O’Neill must liaise with all her Executive colleagues before making any public comment on these matters. “This is the most equitable way of dealing with the issue,” he stressed.
Reflecting on the issue of Michelle O’Neill being taken through the courts at the end of last year by Finance Minister Simon Hamilton, he said: “This decision was not taken lightly. But at the end of the day, the principle of using what is farmers’ money to support production agriculture only had to be defended. The DUP is not anti-rural development. In fact, the very opposite is the case. However, we do not believe that farmers’ money should be used to fund these measures.”
Paul Frew loses no opportunity in confirming the wide range of issues that have been discussed by members of the Agriculture Committee over the past number of years.
“With regard to TB, we ensured that the Farm Minister maintained full valuation levels for pedigree animals. Members have also been to the fore in debating the badger testing, catch and release scheme as a means of getting to grips with bovine TB,” he explained
Frew is also keen to highlight the extensive investigations carried out by the Agriculture Committee in relation to the ash dieback problem that currently threatens Northern Ireland’s ash tree populations.
“We have encouraged the Minister and DARD to take a number of steps which will minimise the threat posed by the disease,” he added. “Currently we are discussing the impact of the proposed Reservoirs Bill for Northern Ireland. This proposed legislation could have a major impact on farmers and landowners province-wide.”
Paul Frew concluded: “The Agriculture Committee will continue to play a central role in helping shape legislation that will have the most beneficial impact on our farming and food industries. There has been a tremendous level of co-operation between all committee members. And, in many ways, this has been the secret of our success.
“The year ahead will be a very important one for agriculture in Northern Ireland. It is vitally important that we get the right CAP support measures put in place. Moreover, there is a need for the Executive to support the Going for Growth strategy in the correct manner. I can confirm that the Agriculture Committee will play a full role in making sure that all of this happens.”
