Latest news with #UlsterFarmersUnion
Agriland
31-07-2025
- General
- Agriland
Ni Sheep Farmers Need Parity on Financial Supports Available in South Breeder
The importance of retaining sheep numbers in hill areas in both Northern Ireland and Great Britain has been emphasised by leading members of the UK sheep farming community. According to Rob Rennie, from Kelso in Scotland. who judged the sheep classes at this year's Omagh Show: "Sheep add so much to the economy of rural areas, both from a production and environmental protection perspective. 'It is also important that government support for sheep reflects the key role these animals must play in hill and upland areas. 'In Scotland at the moment, I believe that we are losing too much hill grazing land to forestry.' Co. Antrim EasyCare sheep breeder, Campbell Tweed agrees that sheep numbers must be encouraged in upland areas. He told Agriland: 'The need to deliver additional support for sheep is obvious. "And there are mechanisms through which Stormont and the Westminster government can make this available. These options must be explored. 'With regard to the actual monies required, sheep farmers in Northern Ireland need parity with the measures already available south of the border. This works out at approximately £20/ewe.' Tweed represents both the Ulster Farmers Union and the National Sheep Association (NSA) on Northern Ireland's Sheep Taskforce. The grouping met recently with officials from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs' (DAERA's) policy division to discuss future support policy for sheep. This was the first in a series of meetings that will be held over the coming weeks. Tweed added: 'There are a number of steps that can be taken to quickly reflect the support needs of the sheep sector. 'One of these is the full recognition of sheep grazing systems within future environmental schemes. 'Grazing livestock have a key role to play in maintaining and improving the hill and upland environment. 'Recent years have seen our hill areas more predisposed to fire risks. In part, this is because sheep have not been allowed to graze down rougher vegetation during the winter months.' Tweed also highlighted that tick-borne diseases are 'becoming more prevalent in both animals and humans". "Louping Ill is now a growing challenge within sheep flocks while reported instances of Lyme disease in human are on the rise," Tweed said. 'Both of these issues can be significantly attributed to poor vegetation control, matters that can be directly addressed if the decision is taken to include sheep within future environmental schemes.' In principle, Campbell Tweed wants sheep to be included within Northern Ireland's Ruminant Genetics' Programme. He said; 'This issue has been agreed to in principle. It's a matter of coming up with the correct delivery vehicle.'
BBC News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Nutrients Action Programme: Agri-food reps to review new water quality measures
More than 60 agri-food industry representatives have signed a letter, confirming they will take part in a group that will review controversial water quality also say they will now respond to the current consultation on the Nutrients Action Programme (NAP) 2026-29 and encourage others to do described the NAP as "out of touch" when it went out for consultation in initial consultation period was extended by four weeks and finishes on 24th July. Last week, the Environment Minister Andrew Muir announced the formation of a stakeholder group that would review the consultation responses and formulate additional proposals ahead of a second consultation later this year. In a letter to the minister, the groups - including the Ulster Farmers' Union, the NI Meat Exporters Association, the Ulster Arable Society and Irish dairy co-operative Tirlán - say they "cautiously welcome" the added that "any developed policies must be genuinely workable at farm level", and that "policy must not place unfair regulatory burdens on the industry".The formation of a stakeholder group as proposed by the minister is described as "a necessary step in correcting the deficiencies in the current consultation and in building a collaborative path forward".They said the group will need "adequate time" and called for officials from the Departments for the Economy and for Infrastructure to be involved. What is the Nutrient Action Programme (NAP) A number of agri-food bodies had previously written to the minister, saying they were considering legal action if the consultation was not NAP was first introduced in 2007 and is updated every four initially led to improvements in water quality across Northern since 2012, those gains have largely been offset by the intensification of agriculture following the introduction of the Going for Growth consultation document says there has been a marked increase in phosphorus in soil and that 18 out of the 21 monitored lakes in Northern Ireland are classed as moderate, poor or bad trophic status due to the amount of nutrients and algae from agricultural sources is the main contributor to blue-green algal blooms in Lough industrial and septic tank pollution play a lesser role.
BBC News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
A5: Fair compensation needed for route landowners
The deputy president of the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) has said farmers and landowners on the A5 route have been left in a state of uncertainty and must be compensated fairly. John McClenaghan said some landowners have not accepted any compensation although they have "not been able to use their land" since last October. On Monday a High Court judge ruled the construction of the new dual carriageway project should not go ahead in its current form, because the plans do not legally comply with Stormont's climate change urged officials to make "concerted efforts" to address issues so a safer road can be built. Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins said it was an "extremely disappointing day" but added she was not giving up on delivering a safer A5. More than 50 people have died on the A5 since 2006 and campaigners have called for the road to be road is the Northern Ireland part of the major arterial route that connects the north-west of the island - Donegal and Londonderry - to Dublin, via towns including Strabane, Omagh and dual carriageway scheme was first announced back in 2007, but has been beset by a number of delays. The State of Us: The A5 upgrade has been blocked… againJudge rules against the long-delayed A5 road project A5 ruling shows impact of Stormont climate change legislation The 58-mile (94km) £1.7bn project was given the green light by Stormont ministers in October last to BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme Mr McClenaghan said "land was taken away" from farmers last October and "they have not been able to use that level of compensation has not yet even been determined and farmers have been reluctant to accept offers which may have been made because they don't know what the final costs will be"."Our feeling is that if our farmers are to be displaced they should be fairly compensated," he added. "Twenty years this has been going on and the important thing is that the A5 is safer for all the people that use it". "We need to get on with improving the A5 road and we do not disagree with that."It's ridiculous how long it's been left," he said there are 330 farmers affected."This is there home where they've lived, there's an attachment on the land that goes passed any value or compensation amount and there are other farmers that want to get on with their business. 'Chilling' comments for victims' families Stephen Kelly's father Terry was killed instantly when the van he was a passenger in left the road at Bready, on the stretch of the A5 between Strabane and Kelly said he was disappointed by the decision, which he described as "the latest episode" in the "disaster" of trying to deliver a critical piece of said the judge's comment that the delay would cause more loss of life was "chilling"."The judge is trying to make clear there is a strong moral case for this to be done … but as a family member, to hear a member of the judiciary saying it's very likely more people are going to die as a result of his decision yesterday didn't go down very well with me certainly."Mr Kelly said the judge's request for the department to provide more information "did leave the door open" for the scheme to progress in the future, which was "one thing to take away". The Chair of Stormont's Infrastructure Committee, Deborah Erskine, said there were worries over how new road projects will be delivered."We are going to have to look at climate change legislation. It has huge implications for major road infrastructure projects across NI," she told Good Morning Ulster She added that there were "major questions" going forward for the Department of Infrastructure. "Why was land ripped up and made unrecognisable while a high court judgement was underway? And when will these farmers received this land back? "I've had farmers who've been chatting to me, very worried about those facts," she said. What happened in court? The High Court judgement blocking the upgrade of the A5 road - because the plans do not comply with government climate change targets - shows the reach and impact of Stormont's climate change legislation - but the judgement is clear that shortcomings in the project can be McAlinden urged officials to make "concerted efforts" to address them so a safer road can be built.A solicitor for the Alternative A5 Alliance campaign group, which brought the successful case, said his clients' efforts had been "vindicated" and it was an important day for the campaigners from the Enough is Enough group said they were disappointed with the decision but added the judgement provides a "roadmap" for how the upgrade could proceed. 'It's certainly not the end' Kieran Kennedy, chair of Strabane Business Improvement Districts group, said Monday's judgement was a shock."We in the north west depend on infrastructure to carry goods along the A5 is just a severe blow to business in Strabane and the north west in general," he told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme."I think about the families who have lost loved ones. There are obviously going to be more families affected in the future by this judgement."Mr Kennedy said it is now time to "work to try and make sure we get everything lined up, to make sure this road can go ahead."He he it was a set back but "not the end".
BBC News
15-06-2025
- BBC News
Farm animal thefts in Northern Ireland linked to organised crime
More than 3,000 animals were reported as stolen in Northern Ireland between 2019 and 2024 in a pattern that is being linked to organised figures obtained by BBC News NI show that the vast majority were farm animals such as sheep and of the reported thefts took place in rural council areas like Mid Ulster and Causeway Coast and say the high value of livestock suggests that some of the cases will have a link to "organised crime and cross-border criminality".And an Ulster Farmers' Union representative says the amount of planning involved in stealing large numbers of animals suggests a link to organised crime. PSNI Rural and Wildlife Crime lead, Superintendent Johnston McDowell, said police had been working to decrease the number of animal thefts and in some cases were working alongside An Garda Síochána in the Republic of Ireland. 'They are more than just livestock' John McCleneghan is from the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU). He says livestock theft is something they hear about a said: "When you look at some of the cases of dozens of cattle or sheep being taken, that takes planning, so that alone is evidence of some form of organised crime being involved."The reality is that as the value of livestock has increased in recent years, the value to the criminal and the incentive to the criminal has also increased."He added: "That's why we would say to farmers to take all the steps they can in terms of security to try act as a deterrent, to protect their livestock, so things like tags on their animals locks on gates, regular checks and things like that, CCTV or tracking devices."But we appreciate that all this is also an added cost and financial burden to the farmer in already tough times." In January 2024, 50 lambs were stolen near the village of Park in Londonderry in what farmer Dermot Mullan said was a "well-planned operation" that would cost him up to £7,000."I received a call from my brother that the sheep weren't in the field, but I honestly just thought they had escaped", he that day the scale of the theft would become apparent to Dermot and his said: "I was in shock, it took a while to sink in, for 50 sheep to be taken in one go without detection would take a lot of planning."They came in the middle of the night, it was very stormy so we wouldn't have heard much, they must have rounded the sheep up and had a large trailer waiting and away they went."Dermot says the whole incident has had a huge impact on his family."It's been tough, it's a big financial loss, but there is also an impact on your mental health, not just on me but on the whole family. "Yes you have the animals to make money, but you get attached to them, especially with the lambs, my two sons looked after them on a Saturday and things like that, so it was a real loss."Dermot says the figures on the overall number of animal thefts across Northern Ireland are "shocking".He said: "Unfortunately, I know of other farmers who have had livestock stolen, it happens lot."But a lot of them are men who don't want to come forward and talk about it or in some cases to even report it, for a whole lot of reasons like fear and stigma, but we need to shine light on this issue, because it can have a devastating effect on people" BBC News NI previously reported that that the Mid Ulster farming community were left "traumatised" following a string of burglaries related to agricultural equipment last cost of rural crime in Northern Ireland decreased last year, according to new figures from the rural insurer National Farmers Union (NFU) fell by 9% to an estimated £1.8m in 2024 compared to 2023, in what NFU says is a result of co-ordinated action against organised and serious crime in the the new report says that livestock theft remained high across the UK at an estimated cost of £3.4m in 2024. Security measures The PSNI said there was no evidence to suggest that there had been an upsurge in animals being actively Supt McDowell gave some advice to farmers and other animal owners. He said they should:close and lock yard gates at night to deter drive-through thieveslock outbuildings at night that hold livestockcheck lighting, alarms and cameras are workingmicrochip or tag animals to help with recovery if they do get stolenIn a statement the Department of Agriculture said it took the theft of farm animals "very seriously".A department spokesperson added: "Rural crime, in particular the theft of farmed animals, is a direct threat to the livelihood of our farmers and to the integrity of the traceability system which is vital in providing assurance on the safety, integrity and quality of our food."
Irish Independent
04-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Ulster Farmers Union ‘not ruling out legal action' over proposed Nutrients Action Programme
The Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) has said it is not ruling out potential legal action over a proposed Nutrients Action Programme. Officials from the representative body said its president William Irvine led a delegation during a 'robust' meeting with Stormont Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir on Tuesday raising 'serious concerns' about the proposals.
