Land will produce food as before, but will do so more efficiently

This challenging backdrop continues to test our industry which means, now more than ever, we need to take stock of how we produce our food and be prepared to seize the opportunities that change inevitably brings.

My 54 policy decisions announced in March will provide schemes that are designed in Northern Ireland for our local needs.

These schemes will support farmers and growers to continue to produce high quality, nutritious food whilst importantly, also reducing their environmental impact.

Future support from my department will help businesses, no matter where they farm, to maximise the sustainable return they can achieve from the assets at their disposal.

Over the next four weeks, I want to set out how my schemes will help deliver the shared vision of an agricultural industry in Northern Ireland as one that pursues increased productivity, is environmentally sustainable, displays improved resilience and operates within an integrated, sustainable, competitive and responsive supply chain.

I have shaped these policies/schemes around four articles: land, livestock, infrastructure and people.

In this, the first of these articles, my focus is on land.

The culture among farmers is to strive to improve the condition of the land they farm for the next generation. This is as important today as it ever was.

However, the expectation and need from society has switched from an over-riding focus on food production to a more holistic approach, not just for food but for clean water, thriving habitats and actions to fight against climate change.

Farmers need help and support to do this.

At a very basic level, I have committed to provide support to ensure farmers can survive the ups and downs of world markets, climate and environmental challenges to meet the widening demands being placed on them.

That is why some safety net support is needed and I am putting in place a Farm Sustainability Payment to provide this safety net but only if farms operate to basic sustainability standards and conditions.

To avail of the Farm Sustainability Payment, you must participate in the Soil Nutrient Health Scheme which will provide you with a clear understanding of the soil nutrient status of each field on your farm.

Going forward, this will help you to develop a Nutrient Management Plan to achieve and maintain good soil health and nutrient status.

This in turn protects our waterways by ensuring that only the nutrients required by the growing crops in the field are provided and that any excess does not end up in our streams, rivers and lakes.

It will help you to increase your farm productivity, producing the same output of grass for grazing and silage and crops for harvesting for less input.

When a farmer looks at a field, most want to see a healthy, growing crop or thriving livestock.

Your land can offer so much more.

When you look at a field, you may not immediately think about the tonnes of carbon stored in your soil or in the trees and hedgerows but these are important resources in the battle against climate change.

We are developing ways of understanding the carbon storage assets that most farms already have and their potential to reduce emissions or capture more.

The aim will be to encourage ‘Farming for Carbon’ to be recognised as a viable additional income stream on your farm.

The habitat that hedges and trees around fields offer is well-recognised on most farms.

But they can deliver much more, connecting habitats, delivering biodiversity and providing the outstanding landscape NI is renowned for.

The Farming with Nature Package will provide the support needed for farmers to see the profitability in managing and enhancing such areas as attractive financially as their traditional livestock or cropping enterprises.

Those of you, and there are many, who go above and beyond the minimum requirements will see this extra effort rewarded under the Farming with Nature Schemes.

So, the view out of your kitchen window will begin to change over the next decade.

You will start to see taller, thicker hedges that you’ve actively managed and the clumps of oak or alder saplings growing nicely in that awkward corner that you planted.

You might just be able to see the new mixed herb and clover reseeds you have established.

The results of your careful nutrient management, based on soil analysis, will have yielded benefits in terms of reduced fertiliser costs or greater output.

The accompanying improvement in the quality of the water in the burns running through your land and the loughs or rivers they run into may not be visible, nor will the additional tonnes of carbon you’ve captured in your fields and hedgerows and in your soil, but they will be extremely valuable outputs that will enhance our stock of natural assets for current and future generations.

Your land will be producing food as before, but it will be doing so more efficiently and meeting the demands of society and the environment.

You will be able to hand over a resilient, productive and environmentally sustainable farm business to the next generation.