Sinn Féin MLA Declan McAleer has challenged DAERA’s case against restoring ANC payments, pointing to previous evidence of their environmental value, questions over departmental spending priorities, and gaps in support for farmers in disadvantaged areas.

The party’s spokesperson raised the issue during the AERA Committee’s evidence session on the Private Members’ Bill to restore Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) payments, and put key questions to DAERA on its position.

Speaking after the committee, the party's agriculture spokesperson said: “The Department claims that restoring ANC payments would deliver no environmental benefits. Yet the evidence suggests otherwise. The Ex-post Evaluation of the 2007-2013 Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme (NIRDP), published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) in December 2016, highlighted the positive contribution of the Less Favoured Areas Compensatory Allowances Scheme (LFACAS), the predecessor to the Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) scheme.

“The evaluation recognised that supporting livestock farming in disadvantaged areas helps maintain biodiversity, protect upland habitats and sustain the rural landscape. Given that LFACAS and ANC share the same core objective of supporting farming in areas with natural constraints, it is difficult to reconcile DAERA's assertion that restoring ANC payments would provide no environmental benefit with the conclusions of that evaluation.

“I also challenged the Department’s argument on affordability. DAERA estimates that an ANC scheme would cost around £11.4 million per year. However, responses to Assembly Questions show that more than £261 million has been spent on agency staff, IT and digital projects, and external consultants over the last five years. That raises a legitimate question about priorities and whether sufficient importance is being attached to supporting family farms in our most disadvantaged areas.

“Finally, I highlighted the fact that counties such as Fermanagh, where a significant proportion of farms operate in severely constrained conditions, have received comparatively limited support from existing schemes such as the Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme. This underlines the reality that current measures are not adequately addressing the unique challenges facing farmers in disadvantaged areas.

“Farmers in ANC areas have waited long enough. They need targeted, meaningful support that recognises the economic, environmental and social contribution they make to our rural communities. The case for restoring ANC payments remains compelling, and I will continue to press the Department to act.”