Poots welcomes additional £12.4million Covid funding for NI sectors

DAERA Minister Edwin Poots pictured visiting Slievenacloy in Belfast which is just one of the environmental projects benefitting from funding.

The Department received the allocation of £12.4million after successfully bidding as part of the Executive’s 2021-22 Final Budget and Covid-19 funding exercises.

Speaking about the funding, Minister Poots said: “As we move towards the next phase of the pandemic and into Covid recovery, this £12.4million will be crucial to help protect and boost those sectors within my remit, that have suffered significant losses since March 2020. This will now take the amount I have secured to safeguard our rural economy and environment sectors, to over £60million.

“Adding to last year’s investment, some £5million in 2021-22, is earmarked for agricultural market support to address any difficulties in trading conditions. For example, I am actively looking at a support package for processing potato suppliers in response to the closure of catering outlets over recent months. This funding is in addition to the £25million I secured last year for agriculture, which offered a lifeline to thousands of beef, sheep, pig, horticulture and dairy farmers, and the £3.9million for aquaculture and fishermen.

“A new programme monitoring wastewater for SARS-CoV-2 (coronavirus) has also benefitted from an allocation of £3.8million. This funding is for the recently established environmental SARS-CoV-2 monitoring hub for Northern Ireland at QUB which will work with partners (NIEA, PHA, DoH, DfI and NI Water) to provide a wastewater surveillance service across the province over the 2021-22 period. The Northern Ireland programme is working closely with the other devolved administrations and with colleagues in the ROI. As SARS-CoV-2 is shed in high levels in faeces, wastewater testing is a complementary, long-term tracking system for coronavirus in the community and is becoming an important element of continuing arrangements to monitor and track virus activity.

“Finally, as we come out of lockdown, the all-important green recovery will receive £2million. This funding will promote the green economy and provide strategic sectoral support to the environmental not for profit sector which has been impacted by Covid-19 both financially and in terms of business operability. The delivery of projects associated with this money would support job retention, business continuity, further development of walking routes in nature and the development of future green economy initiatives.

“I am also very pleased to provide £1million of additional funding for a Rural Community Ornamental Garden Scheme and a Rural Community Business Fund.”

The Minister continued: “I am very proud of all the hard work my Department has completed during the pandemic to ensure they were able to target last year’s monies towards those who needed it most. This new round of funding will provide us with the means of addressing the needs of those who require help urgently.

“It’s been a very challenging time for everyone and hopefully now we are going towards brighter days and a Covid recovery for our economy. I am confident today’s £9.8million will help us on our road to recovery.”