Agriculture committee chairman welcomes four-week extension to NAP public consultation

​He added: “This is something that committee members had previously called for.

"The consultation document comprises 50 plus questions, all of which are extremely technical in nature.

“The NAP goes to the very heart of the economic factors that impact on local agriculture. AERA committee members had also told department of agriculture officials that an element of co-design should have been included within this process from the get-go.

“In other words, all relevant farm stakeholder groups should have had an opportunity to feed in their ideas prior to the consultation going public.

“Many believe that not taking this approach dooms the entire process to failure. And I strongly agree with this principle.”

AERA committee members met representative from the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) at this week’s Balmoral Show. Key points that came up for discussion included: bovine tuberculosis (bTB) eradication, the recently agreed UK:US comprehensive trade deal, NAP and the extension of inheritance tax to include farm land.

Robbie Butler again: “The Union is particularly worried regarding the threat posed by US food imports on local farm gate prices.

“I have been at Balmoral Show for most of this week.

"And the points made by the Union deputation resonated with the conversations that I have had with individual farmers.

“Something must be done to significantly reduce bTB level. But, more than that, a combination of the proposed NAP changes, the UK:US trade deal and the extension of inheritance tax measures have the potential to devastate very large number of local farming businesses.

"And this must not be allowed to happen.”

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Meanwhile, a report by Westminster’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee is calling on the government to delay announcing its final agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR) reforms until October 2026, to come into effect in April 2027.

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MPs are saying that a pause in the implementation of the reforms “would allow for better formulation of tax policy and provide the Government with an opportunity to convey a positive long-term vision for farming.”

Such a development would also protect vulnerable farmers who would have “more time to seek appropriate professional advice”.

In addition, MPs have noted the difficult economic and geopolitical circumstances and praise the government’s commitments to backing British produce and supporting farmers, but are concerned that “high-profile policies have been announced prior to the completion and publication of the strategies and reviews that the Department of the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) says will inform and guide its vision.”

They also raise concerns that changes announced in the Autumn Budget 2024 were made without adequate consultation, impact assessment or affordability assessment.

This means that the impact of the changes “on family farms, land values, tenant farmers, food security and farmers in the devolved administrations” is “disputed and unclear” with a risk of producing unintended consequences.

MPs have also pointed out that “reforms threaten to affect the most vulnerable.”

They want the Government to consider alternative reforms before justifying its final approach.

Robbie Butler has welcomed this development.

He said: “It’s important that the government takes on board the views expressed by members of the EFRA committee.”