DUP Leader Gavin Robinson MP has questioned how Northern Ireland can realistically achieve economic growth while pursuing policies which would have reduced livestock numbers under the now-scrapped Nutrients Action Programme (NAP).

Speaking following an exchange with Steven Morrison, Head of Sustainable Livestock Systems at AFBI, Mr Robinson said serious concerns remain about the direction of environmental policy and the impact it could have on farming families and the wider rural economy.

“Farmers are already under immense pressure from rising costs, regulation and uncertainty, yet too often they are presented with proposals which fail to recognise the realities of food production and rural life.

“I asked how Northern Ireland is expected to deliver wider economic growth if policies such as those proposed under the NAP would have undermined one of our most important indigenous industries.

“The agri-food sector is one of Northern Ireland’s biggest economic drivers and supports thousands of jobs directly and indirectly.

“The focus of some in the climate debate has become skewed. We have researchers, regulators and politicians spending huge amounts of time examining how to reduce methane emissions from cows, including feed additives such as Bovaer, while far less attention is given to emissions from private jets and other high-emitting lifestyles.

“We should pursue practical measures that improve productivity and sustainability, not create a narrative that simply equates fewer cattle with environmental progress.

“The Minister was right to scrap the flawed NAP proposals, but there remains a wider question about how government balances environmental objectives with economic growth and food security.

“The DUP will continue to challenge unrealistic policies which threaten local food production and rural communities.”