UFU President Graham Furey, who attended the high profile launch in Brussels, said: "It is vital for a small region like Northern Ireland to have its voice heard in Europe. Agriculture is central to our local economy and we need an effective European Parliament which will help our industry achieve its potential in a very competitive global market.
"We look forward to meeting candidates in the weeks ahead and having a detailed discussion with them about our agriculture priorities for the next EU Parliament."
The UK Unions manifesto document, entitled 'World Class Policies for World Class Farming' was launched at the European Parliament. The manifesto places special emphasis on the role of productive agriculture, protecting the environment, the need for more research and development and increased action on supply chain issues.
The report has been produced ahead of the European elections on 4 June 2009.
Graham Furey said: "Farming and food production are critically important for the future of Europe's economy and environment. Whilst the farming industry faces some of the same short-term challenges of economic downturn and the credit crunch, we passionately believe that the long-term prospects for our sector are bright.
"The challenges faced by a growing world population and the impact of climate change will place new demands on our industry and will require that European farming continues to produce sustainably and increase productivity. This way we will ensure that UK and European agriculture delivers on all fronts in the future.
"The European Parliament has a vital role to play in helping us to make this happen. European policies and legislation play a major part in shaping the framework in which farming operates. This framework will need to adapt to allow farming to thrive. We therefore look forward to working closely with MEPs for the next parliamentary term and beyond."
NFU President Peter Kendall said: "The European Parliament has a vital role to play in making sure that our industry can meet the challenges of the future. MEPs will be making decisions in Brussels that impact directly on our businesses and their views will shape farming policy on everything from animal health to the future of CAP."
Speakers at this week's launch included MEPs Liz Lynne, Brian Simpson, Timothy Kirkhope and Nigel Farage.
Important issues such as IPPC, sheep EID and the importance of science-based regulation were discussed with the MEP's.
Graham Furey said: "The next EU Parliament will have co-decision making powers along with the EU Commission so it will be a much more powerful Parliament. We have been pro-active and highlighted at this early stage the important priorities for farming."