"But changes could be made to make us even more effective," he added. "At the moment we can take evidence from all the various stakeholder groups within the agri-food sectors and make recommendations to the Executive. However, the various Ministers are under no obligation to act on our proposals. We are now well past the settling in stage when it comes to the operation of the new political arrangements at Stormont. Farmers want their elected representatives to have more of a say in shaping the policies which will have a direct bearing on their day-to-day lives.
"Where agriculture is concerned, these are determined exclusively by the Farm Minister. Moving forward, I believe it would be appropriate to find ways of providing the Agriculture Committee with a more active role in shaping agricultural policy in Northern Ireland.
"I would also be concerned that if measures of this nature are not taken, then local voters will become disillusioned with the political process as a whole."
Tom Elliott pointed out that the Agriculture Committee has made a number of key recommendations over the past 12 months which, when accepted by the Farm Minister, have made a real difference.
"A case in point was our proposal to introduce forward payments under the Farm Nutrient Management System. This has since been introduced and is a measure that is having a practical and beneficial impact with many farmers, who are putting in place additional slurry storage capacity," he explained.
"The Committee has also carried out valuable work in scrutinising the activities of DARD and all the other relevant government departments. And this will continue during the period ahead."
Looking at the prospects for agriculture as a whole, Tom Elliott concurs that change is coming, as a result of developments taking place on a global scale.
"And the rate at which change takes effect could be petty breathtaking. Some sectors will be able to adapt to these circumstances, milk being a case in point," he added.
"However, I am extremely concerned about the prospects for beef. The Redmeat Taskforce Report confirmed the scale of the challenge facing the livestock sector. The bottom line is that beef producers need better prices. And, in this context, the supermarkets must step up to the plate. We know the difference between the price paid to the farmer and the total retail value of a beef animal. It's in the region of £1,000 per head. If retailers want a high quality beef industry on their doorstep, then they must give farmers a bigger share of the overall cake."
Tom Elliott is aware that this is a busy time of the year for farmers. Field work is continuing apace. But, for many, the challenge of the Farm Nutrient Scheme and the need to get new slurry tanks in place is also a priority. Significant numbers of herd and flockowners are now concerned they they will not have their tanks competed by the end of this year. So will the Farm Minister ask Brussels for a further extension?
"To be honest, she has very little wriggle room on this issue," explained the Agriculture Committee vice-chairman. "I think the Minister will push for something and Brussels may well permit and an additional three to four months into 2009. But this is by no means guaranteed. However, if achieved, this will only be to allow the completion of tanks already started. Anyone who has not commenced work before the end of this year may well find themselves in difficulties."