Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister has spoken at the 2025 Oxford
Farming Conference, assuring delegates of his continued
commitment to the sector.
The Minister reflected that the theme of this year's conference,
‘Facing Change, Finding Opportunity', was very relevant to issues
in farming today.
Minister Muir touched on a range of issues at the conference,
including water quality, Brexit, the Farm Support and Development
Programme and ammonia.
Minister Muir said: “I have set out a clear and honest vision for
the future of farming in Northern Ireland, where financial and
environmental sustainability goes hand in hand.
“In many ways farming is enduring the biggest impact from the
multiple climate, biodiversity and ecological crises but has the
most to gain from the interventions needed to give a strong and
sustainable future. I know the road ahead isn't easy, especially
after recent announcements on inheritance tax, which will have a
disproportionate and detrimental impact on Northern Ireland if
implemented, which they ought not to be.”
The conference attracts over 600 innovative and progressive
farmers and industry leaders in the agri-food sector within
our agricultural, rural and food sectors.
Touching on Brexit, the Minister said: “The resource and work
required to navigate post-Brexit trading rules, but also to
develop and implement new schemes to replace previous common
agricultural policies from the EU is significant and onerous.
However, I am getting on with the job to implement new farm
support schemes in context of the advantages of dual market
access and knowledge a comprehensive SPS veterinary agreement is
hopefully on the horizon which can't come soon enough.”
The Minister addressed farm support and said: “My Department's
new Farm Support and Development Programme seeks to implement
policies and strategies that benefit the environment and support
our economically significant agri-food sector. We took the first
step on this programme of change in 2024 and it is important that
we continue this pace in the months ahead. Many of the schemes
being introduced are already seen as innovative exemplars across
the UK and Ireland such as the Soil Nutrient Health Scheme.”
On improving water quality, Minister Muir commented: “Improving
water quality is tough, but I won't shy away from it – we owe it
to communities around Lough Neagh and the farmers of tomorrow to
take the actions today needed to ensure success.
“The same is true of ammonia, another difficult issue where
emissions are going the wrong way. I have grasped the nettle and
have been convening Ministerial roundtables to find a way forward
that drives down emissions and deals with the practical problems
like replacement farm buildings.”
The Minister concluded: “The challenges are no doubt great but
the prize to be gained from navigating these together are
significant. It is my firm belief that Northern Ireland can
become a shining example of a thriving, sustainable and resilient
agri-food sector with a health, rich natural environment.”
