​xx

The vote of no confidence was unanimously passed by the UFU at its executive committee meeting held on Wednesday night (29 October).

UFU president, William Irvine, said: “The vote of no confidence was first suggested in early summer, following the release of the flawed Nutrients Action Programme consultation.

“We gave DAERA time to see if things would improve, but after mounting frustration over the last few months on a host of other issues, this vote of no confidence was unanimously agreed last night [Wednesday] at our executive meeting.”

He continued: “The result of no confidence in DAERA represents a deep dissatisfaction from UFU members on how the department is handling key issues affecting farmers.”

Mr Irvine said the UFU had continued to engage with DAERA “in good faith”, remaining “patient and hopeful” that co-operation would yield results.

However, the UFU felt this was not being reciprocated by the department.

“From wildlife intervention to tackle bTB, ammonia controls and planning in relation to the Nutrients Action Programme, sheep sector support and a generational renewal scheme under the sustainable farming programme, DAERA is failing to deliver for the farming industry,” the UFU president commented.

“There is also the ongoing unjustified focus on agriculture regarding climate change and Lough Neagh.

“Plus the recent AFBI data breach and heightened concerns around data security.

“We are prepared to play our part in creating an environmentally and economically sustainable agriculture industry, but DAERA needs to work with farmers to deliver what is needed, and regrettably this has not happened.

Turn to page 17

“Our members now have zero confidence in DAERA’s willingness or ability and this unanimous vote of no confidence is unfortunately a very stark reflection of DAERA’s failings and inadequacies.”

TUV leader Jim Allister MP has described the vote of ‘No Confidence’ in DAERA and its minister by the UFU as “wholly understandable and appropriate”.

“It chimes precisely with the feeling across the farming community,” Mr Allister continued.

“The litany of issues recited in the UFU statement demonstrate there is not a single significant responsibility of the department and minister where there remains any confidence in them.

“Whether it’s NAP, ammonia, TB, net zero, this is an out of touch minister, whose ideology, not farming needs, shapes his every disastrous approach.

“Minister Muir has had his chance. He has failed. In any other system of government he would be gone, but, sadly, in Stormont failure is the order of the day!”

The DUP’s deputy leader and agriculture spokesperson has said it’s “not a surprise” that a vote of no confidence in DAERA has been unanimously passed by the Ulster Farmers’ Union.

Michelle McIlveen MLA commented: “What is surprising is the timing. We have long argued that DAERA, under the Alliance Minister’s direction, has been pursuing an agenda that is hugely damaging to the industry and threatens the very fabric of our rural economy and community.

“The Minister needs to change course - he must work in genuine partnership with the sector and recognise that his environmental crusade cannot be one pursued at the expense of farming.”

Meanwhile, Ulster Unionist Party spokesperson on agriculture and Chair of the Assembly’s Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee, Robbie Butler MLA, has said the Ulster Farmers’ Union’s unprecedented vote of no confidence in the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs is a damning indictment of a Minister and a Department that have fundamentally failed Northern Ireland’s farming community.

Speaking as UUP spokesperson, Mr Butler said: “This is not just a warning shot, it is a seismic moment. The Ulster Farmers’ Union, an organisation with a long and respected history of constructive engagement, has taken an extraordinary step that confirms what many in rural communities have long feared, the Agriculture Minister has, in practice, become the Environment Minister. The priorities of farmers have been sidelined, and the Alliance Party has turned its back on rural Northern Ireland.

“This is a clear and unambiguous message from the farming community, they feel abandoned, ignored, and betrayed. The challenges facing farmers, from inheritance tax uncertainty and the persistent failure to tackle bovine TB, to the deeply flawed Nutrients Action Programme, have been met with indifference and delay. Added to this is the Department’s failure to facilitate policy-compliant planning applications due to a risk reversed attitude to ammonia emissions, which has paralysed progress and investment across the agri-food sector.

“Morale across the sector is at rock bottom. Farmers are exhausted from being dictated to rather than engaged with. This vote is not about party politics, it is about survival. It is about the livelihoods of farm families who feel disrespected and disregarded.

“While DAERA must shoulder much of the blame, it would be remiss not to acknowledge the role of wider infrastructure failings, particularly around Lough Neagh. The lack of coordinated action and investment from other departments has compounded the crisis. Farmers are being asked to carry the burden of environmental mismanagement while government dithers.

“Minister Muir must treat this as the wake up call it is. He must urgently meet with the UFU and listen, like really listen, to what farmers are saying, and take concrete steps to restore trust. The Department must stop talking at farmers and start working with them.

“The UFU’s vote of no confidence is not just a cry of frustration but more a demand for change. The stakes are too high for further delay or indecision. Farmers deserve better. DAERA must listen, act, and deliver.”