A support scheme worth up to £1.6 million for Northern Ireland pig farmers has been announced by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).
The scheme is targeted at pig farmers who have been financially impacted by the effects of increasing input costs.
The scheme will be implemented in accordance with a ministerial direction issued by former Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Edwin Poots before leaving office on October 28, 2022.
Further details on the scheme, including eligibility criteria and payment mechanisms, will be announced in the coming weeks by DAERA.
Poots
The former agriculture minister faces a pay cut as new legislation is set to come into effect to encourage the formation of a government.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris made the decision to introduce this legislation to allow for more time and space for Executive formation, in the effort to avoid an election.
The legislation will extend the period for Executive formation by six weeks to December 8, with the possibility of a further six-week extension to January 19.
This legislation will also enable the Secretary of State to amend the salaries and expenses payable to MLAs while the assembly is not sitting.
MLA’s receive a salary of £51,500, which is set to be cut by 27.5% to £37,000.