FFA Attend Stormont Agricultural Committee NAP Event
Representatives from Farmers For Action (FFA) were invited along with other Stakeholders to a Nutrient Action Programme Event arranged by the Stormont Agriculture Committee on Thursday 13th November.
Sean McAuley said: “To the Committee’s credit this was their attempt to gather information from a wide range of stakeholders to help broker a deal on the Nutrient Action Programme that would be acceptable within international requirements for clean water.
“Currently, there is a stand-off between the UFU and DAERA which helped provoke this action by the Agriculture Committee.”
Farmers For Action were positioned at Table 1, out of approx 8, along with leading academics and two Ag Committee members. The plan was that each table came up with a collective case to then allow the Agriculture Committee to help find a proposed route forward.
Sean cadded: “Farmers For Action are very clear on the Nutrient Action Programme and what needs to happen!
“Firstly, the Northern Ireland Farm Welfare Bill must go forward as an emergency Bill, due to the urgency of the NAP and declining farm gate prices.
“Stormont is unable to tell the farming community that they have support money available, over and above the annual carve-up of a diminishing agriculture budget.
“It must be remembered that farm support money has not been upgraded for inflation since 2003 and is increasingly coming under fire from the general public when they see wealthy, wealthy, corporate food retailers, corporate food wholesalers and corporate food processors.
“The general public do not understand how farmers cannot be getting properly paid, yet as things stand today, only a few commodities are up and over the true cost of production inflation linked plus a margin to the farmer while grain and oil seeds, milk, potatoes farm gate prices.
“These prices today reflects the same as 40 years ago despite commentators in the press making the assumption that because farmers had text book weather all year that everything is well down on the farm, when it is clearly not!”
“Secondly, the whole NAP problem stems from surplus nutrients in Northern Ireland resulting from NI grain importers importing over 3million tonnes annually mainly from South America being feed to chickens, pigs, cattle etc, putting Northern Ireland self-sufficiency out of balance on the manure front.
“This is further compounded by the fact that many farms in Northern Ireland are nutrient deficient but can’t afford to transport and apply the manure.
“Thus, the need for the Northern Ireland Farm Welfare Bill to put money in family farmers pockets by having them properly paid for their produce and return balance to the countryside.
“To conclude, the shipping companies that transport the grain to Northern Ireland would be delighted to fill the empty ships with NI’s surplus manure after it retains what is needed, including cutting out imports of granular fertiliser from Russia etc.
“This action would help Brazil to replace the nutrients taken out by crop after crop of grains, whereby, continued exports are not allowing them to fertiliser the ground with manure and thereby, negating the need for them to seek virgin ground to crop- by continued clearance of the Amazon rainforest.
“This solution would work and can be implemented right away, while the corporate processors in NI are following the digester route which needs years to complete and the carbon foot print of construction and operation is highly questionable!”
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