UFU comment on appointment of new Prime Minister

The comment was made this afternoon by Ulster Farmers’ Union president, David Brown.

“The Covid-19 pandemic, and extreme weather conditions recently, stressed just how fragile and crucial local food production is and it must be protected going forward at all costs,” Mr Brown added.

“Like many across the UK, our farmers are struggling with the current cost-of-living crisis - they need support to continue feeding the nation.

“Soaring energy and feed costs are unsustainable and it’s severely impacting farmers’ confidence around food production.

“Government needs to intervene, showing their support for food producers so they can continue to produce high-quality produce farmed to some of the highest animal welfare and environmental standards. The nutritious food that consumers expect on shop shelves.”

The UFU president continued: “To fully support domestic food production, trade policy is a vital aspect that needs to be approached with fairness, ensuring we stay true to the world leading standards our farmers are proud to uphold and maintain local agriculture at its core.

“We need to safeguard our primary producers and support them in becoming competitive food producers especially at a time when food security is becoming an increasing concern globally.

“Locally, the Northern Ireland Protocol is a matter that remains unresolved.

“Pragmatic solutions need to be found to ensure it is workable for every farming sector in NI. We also need to get our Executive at Stormont back up and running so that vital decisions affecting our farming industry can be made going forward.

“We look forward to working with the new PM to develop our local agri-food industry to ensure it thrives, becomes more sustainable and profitable going forward,” Mr Brown concluded.