Northern Ireland’s new sustainability body will work to make “food growth” its top priority over the coming years, according to Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) deputy president, John McLenaghan.
He spoke at the organisation’s recent presidential area meeting in Co. Down.
The new sustainability body will be formally constituted over the coming weeks after a number of months of operating on a ‘shadow basis’.
McLenaghan said: “Food security is the biggest challenge facing the world at the present time, and agriculture will play a fundamental role in meeting this need.
“Farming in Northern Ireland must be allowed to play its part in meeting this need. Hence the reason for growth in local food production being formally recognised as the primary objective set for the new organisation.”
The origin of the sustainability body can be traced back to the publication of the Kendall Report in 2022.
It will draw its formal membership from across the production agriculture and food processing sectors in equal measures.
The body’s constitution envisages an executive board with a 3+ 3+ 1+1 membership breakdown.
Food processing
McLenaghan continued: “There will be three representatives from the various farm stakeholder organisations. This will be matched by an equivalent number of representatives from across the spectrum of food processing in NI.
“The board will also include a representative with a deep involvement with agricultural research. The final place will be filled by a representative with a strong environmental and conservation-related background.
“By taking this approach, we believe that the body will bring a totally balanced approach to its decision-making processes.”
McLenaghan specifically highlighted the fact that the new body will not include any representation form the Department of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs (DAERA).
“It’s important that the farming and food industries independently demonstrate their own abilities when it comes to determining the future sustainability of both sectors,” he said.
The new body will be financed via six equal funding streams. “One of these will constitute a farmer-funded stream. The other contributions will come from across the entire scope of food processing in Northern Ireland,” McLenaghan said.
One of the key roles envisaged for the new sustainability body will be its interfacing with the three new farm-focused measures that link directly back to the targets set within Northern Ireland’s Climate Change Act.
These are the Soil Nutrient Health Scheme, the Ruminant Genetics Programme and the Farming for Carbon Scheme.
Farmers who attended the meeting were told that they must sign-up for all three measures if they wish to receive future farm sustainability payments.