Farming group ‘not ruling out legal action' over NAP proposals for NI
The Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) is 'not ruling out legal action' in relation to new proposals contained in Northern Ireland's Nutrient Action Programme (NAP).
The Northern Ireland Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir, launched a public consultation on the NAP for 2026 to 2029, last month, which he said contains 'additional measures which have been developed based on scientific research'.
The main additional measures include further restrictions on use of chemical phosphorus fertiliser and a farm phosphorus balance limit for more intensive farms.
According to Minister Muir research shows that around 62% of the high nutrient (phosphorus) levels in Northern Ireland's waterbodies 'come from agricultural sources'.
But the UFU believes these new proposals could 'devastate local farming' – a view it conveyed during meetings this week with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland (DAERA) and the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute in relation to the new NAP proposals.
According to William Irvine, president of the UFU, the organisation also told Minister Andrew Muir this week during a meeting that the consultation process around the new NAP proposals has been 'deeply flawed'.
(L-R) UFU president William Irvine and UFU deputy president John McLenaghan at Stormont Source: UFU
Irvine added: 'There has been no economic impact assessment and no thorough engagement was carried out with stakeholders ahead of the consultation publication.
'The farming community acknowledge the need to improve water quality and we will play our part in a holistic approach, but we feel totally blindsided.
'Our members are frustrated that proposals of such magnitude have been brought forward without thorough analysis of the real-world impact on farm businesses, food production and rural livelihoods.'
NAP
According to the UFU the new NAP proposals could impact on thousands of farmers across Northern Ireland and result in many having to find more land for slurry spreading or cut their livestock numbers.
Irvine has said the next step for the UFU is to its next 'course of action'.
''We are not ruling out legal action.
'Our members expect us to stand up for them, and that's exactly what we intend to do,' Irvine added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sunday World
9 hours ago
- Sunday World
Drug dealing to not stop even if the UVF officially disbands
The terror group has been locked in discussions with British secuirty chiefs over an attempt to disband. UVF Shankill roads 1st Battalion commander Harry Stockman, is set to replace his long time mentor John 'Bunter' Graham as the UVF Chief of Staff The UVF's transition will not see them dismantle criminal structures including drug dealing, the Sunday World has learned. The terror group has been locked in discussions, via a number of interlocutors, with British government security chiefs for some years in an attempt to secure conditions to enable them to disband. The discussions, first revealed by the Sunday World, were set up with the aim of taking down paramilitary structures. The talks have been overseen by paramilitary umbrella group the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC) and it is understood a group of UVF veterans have made clear their desire to break away from the organisation. The idea was initially resisted by government negotiators, who were pushing for all members to disassociate themselves from criminal activity. This week the LCC told BBC's Spotlight programme that an announcement can be expected in the autumn which will see paramilitary structures being dismantled. John 'Bunter' Graham. The arrest and conviction of Winston 'Winkie' Irvine on gunrunning charges is being seen as a sign British security services are running out of patience. Irvine, who has been praised by LCC head David Campbell for his peace-building work, is languishing in a cell at Maghaberry, having been caught with a cache of guns and ammo in the boot of his car. It is widely believed his security service handlers dropped him. His incarceration has prompted considerable unrest in UVF ranks, with many questions as what Irvine was doing remain unanswered despite the leadership expelling him earlier this month. The Irvine episode is thought to have injected some urgency into the process. Veteran Chief of Staff John 'Bunter' Graham is understood to be on the brink of standing down. The knives are out for his second in command 'Harmless' Harry Stockmen, who was a staunch ally of Irvine. Given Graham's age and ailing health, it would seem an opportune time for him to call time on his more than four-decade career as a terror chief. It is understood he has agreed to formally dismantle the leadership structure of the organisation and it is likely the UVF as it is currently known will become some kind of veterans' organisation or possibly a Somme commemoration group. UVF Shankill roads 1st Battalion commander Harry Stockman, is set to replace his long time mentor John 'Bunter' Graham as the UVF Chief of Staff News in 90 Seconds - June 28th Graham can point to a clampdown on drug dealers operating under the UVF flag, which has seen a number of senior figure being punished and expelled. But loyalist sources have described the proposed transition as 'window dressing'. 'We'll see how many of the districts are willing to follow suit and stand down — if it does happen, it will be symbolic,' said the source. 'The message is if you're a drug dealer you can't be in the UVF. Well, that hasn't exactly stopped the drugs or the involvement of UVF in drugs.' The Shankill leadership is concerned about the potential impact on public funding for community posts in loyalist areas. Irvine held a number of taxpayer-funded jobs in the years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 and, with his high-level contacts in successive British and Irish governments, he was key to keeping the flow of public funds. Any decision to transition will be to protect that cash. This week former Alliance Party chief Lord Alderdice, who was a member of the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC), said talks about loyalist transition should stop. Lord Alderdice spent seven years on the IMC, which was given access to secret intelligence to report on paramilitary activities, before it was wound up in 2011. He said the transition process is 'not working'. 'A halt should be called, and you can't call a halt now sooner than today. 'There comes a point when you have to say 'no, this hasn't been delivered'. 'It's not going to be delivered. And, actually, by continuing we are making it worse.' Lord Alderdice told the programme he did not believe the loyalist paramilitaries were making a genuine effort to transition away from criminality. 'What I've seen is more talking about transition, and transformation, and no doubt with an invoice ... for how much money is needed to be made available from public services in order to pay off these people.' Irvine's conviction refocused attention on funding for community projects linked to loyalist paramilitaries. No explanation was given in court as to why Irvine and his co-accused had the guns. Following the arrest, police discovered UVF paraphernalia in Irvine's home and that of his co-accused Robin Workman. However, in sentencing, Judge Gordon Kerr KC concluded the movement of weapons had not been directly connected to terrorism. Workman (54), of Shore Road in Larne, was sentenced to five years — the minimum custodial sentence, which the PPS said it would not be appealing. Irvine was handed a much lesser 30-month sentence, which is now the subject of an appeal from the Public Prosecution Service. The guns were found by covert police six weeks after a hoax bomb, which targeted a peace event in Belfast attended by then Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney in March 2022. It is thought that was the moment Irvine's handlers turned on him. However, his arrest sent shockwaves through the British and Irish governments because of how they often rely on community workers to engage with loyalist communities. Following his arrest, Irvine was suspended from his role at the north Belfast community group Intercomm Ireland, in line with its internal disciplinary procedures. He left the organisation several months later. Intercomm said it was 'difficult to convey the impact' the case had on its team who were 'shocked, disappointed and felt let down' by Irvine's actions. A statement added that 'significant reorganisation [was] required to continue to deliver on our commitments to projects and fulfil obligations to funders and to the community'. But Irvine continued to work on funded projects in unionist and loyalist areas while on bail for the weapons charges.
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Irish Times
‘Unbelievably cynical': farmers accuse vegan food producers of ‘hijacking' sausage and burger labels
Irish farmers have welcomed tentative moves by the European Parliament to restrict 'cynical' vegetarian and vegan food producers from using words such as sausage, burger and schnitzel to sell their products. The European Commission is drafting new rules covering EU-wide agriculture and MEPs are using the overhaul to lobby for changes to how vegetarian and vegan products are sold to customers. The 'hijacking' of traditional farming terms was 'deliberate and cynical' and could constitute 'a breach of any trade descriptions Act', said Irish Creamery and Milk Supplier's Association (ICMSA) president Denis Drennan. French MEP Céline Imart is proposing an amendment banning plant-based products being labelled with a long list of terms linked to animal products. READ MORE It is the latest salvo in the long-running battle involving farmers, their representatives, the commission and vegetarian food producers. The differing perspectives have also been aired at the European Court of Justice, which has ruled that plant-based foods can use terms traditionally associated with meat once consumers are not misled. [ Flip Burger takeaway review: are these the best veggie burgers in Dublin? Opens in new window ] The court has also ruled that non-dairy products cannot be described as milk and cheese. Farmers have continued to fight for the naming rights to certain products. Mr Drennan said the 'hijacking' of farming terms 'constituted an admission by the corporations involved that they were unable to convince consumers other than by such camouflage'. He said it was 'a matter of considerable irritation to farmers to see the very people and corporations who want to replace our naturally produced meat and dairy very deliberately using the terms they know are generally understood to refer to traditional dairy and meat products'. Oisín Coughlan, climate policy analyst and former chief executive of Friends of the Earth, expressed bafflement at the ICMSA's comments restricting vegan food producers from using words such as sausage or burger, and said any such move would be 'a step too far'. [ What's really in veggie burgers? Well, they aren't always made of veg Opens in new window ] 'Everyone knows that vegetarian sausages don't come from pigs and I don't see how a vegan sausage or veggie burger is damaging meat producers,' he said. 'It just communicates that if you don't want to eat meat there are equivalents available, and that seems fair to me.' Mr Drennan accused vegan food producers of wilfully trying 'to effectively 'smuggle' their own products past a sceptical public'. He suggested that plant-based food producers use terms such as sausage, burger and milk 'because they know that those terms already have a degree of acceptance'. [ The Irish Times view on food labelling: defending the sausage Opens in new window ] He claimed food producers 'simply appropriate the names of the very foods they're trying to replace and supplant'. 'It's unbelievably cynical and actually an admission that they know that they're unable to convince consumers by their own efforts or merits,' he said.
Agriland
20-06-2025
- Agriland
Animal health status a ‘clear driver' of sustainability levels
Taking a 'silo approach' to animal health misses out fundamentally on the impact this key principle of animal husbandry has across farming as a whole, according to veterinarian Dr. Sam Strain. This was the clear message the vet delivered to the recent Northern Ireland Institute of Agricultural Science (NIIAS) annual conference. He specifically referenced the link between animal health and the issues of production efficiency, carbon footprint, and medicine usage. Moreover, he said these are all matters that determine the overall sustainability of farming and food at the present time. Dr. Strain is the chief executive of Animal Health and Welfare Northern Ireland (AHWNI). In his presentation to the NIIAS conference, he confirmed that animal health status has an overarching impact on livestock performance. In other words, an animal's genetic potential will never be fully reached if its health status is compromised, irrespective of the nutritional regimes that are followed. Chatting at the NIIAS conference, Institute members (l-r) Sean McIntyre, Valerie Westfield, and Lowry Cunningham According to the vet, clear links have also been confirmed between animal health status, production output, and the associated impact on the environment. Dr. Strain explained: 'Between 2007 and 2017, milk output in the United States rose by 24.9%. 'However, greenhouse gas emission levels only increased by 1% during the same period. 'Analysis of these results has clearly shown that animal health status is a clear driver of whole herd efficiency and sustainability levels.' The AHWNI representative highlighted the need for calves to be tagged as early as possible. This is a key requirement, linked to the ongoing bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) eradication programme in Northern Ireland. Dr. Strain also noted that further legislation will be required to allow for the full completion of the BVD measure. Animal health Animal health standards are directly linked to the usage of antibiotics within production agriculture. He also confirmed that a specific disease breakdown predisposes animals to other health-related issues, which in turn can lead to increased antimicrobial usage. He added: 'There is a tremendous level of interaction between diseases. For example, BVD predisposes animal to pneumonia. Infectious disease move within animals. 'But simple steps taken by farmers to tackle one specific issue can have repercussions across other aspects of animal health. 'For example, improving hygiene standards in calving areas to reduce the prevalence of Johne's disease will also act to reduce scour levels in newborn calves.' Dr Strain also spoke of how improving animal health can have benefits for efforts to reduce carbon emissions. 'There is also a clear line between improved livestock health standards and the carbon footprint generated by a livestock farming business,' the AHWNI representative said. 'For example, reducing lameness problems within dairy herds will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emission levels. 'And reducing parasite burdens, such as those created by fluke and worms, will also deliver overall reductions in carbon footprint values.'
