NIFDA: 'Coordinated approach' needed for sustainable local farming and food
Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA) chair, Prof. Ursula Lavery has confirmed the significant opportunities that exist to grow farming and food in Northern Ireland on a sustainable basis.
She used her address to the organisation’s recent annual dinner to flesh out this assertion.
Prof. Lavery, who is also the director of pork processor Pilgrim’s Europe, stressed the combined role of private sector investment, the application of new science, and relevant government support measures as the key factors that will drive this process.
She said: “But we cannot take a silo approach where these matters are concerned.
“Only by taking a co-ordinated approach will the objective of delivering a sustainable farming and food sector that is fit for growth be achieved.”
The NIFDA director confirmed that output from Northern Ireland’s food and drinks sector currently exceeds £8 billion per annum.
“The industry is also securing many thousands of jobs. We have now arrived at a stage when 3% of the UK’s total population is now responsible for delivering 40% of its indigenous food production levels."
The NIFDA chair specifically highlighted the significance of food security within the UK at the present time.
“Food security is a critical component of national security,” she stressed.
Prof. Lavery also highlighted the tremendous potential to deliver higher levels of cross-border food sector.
She commented: “All of this is extremely positive.
"But there is a crucial role for the Stormont Executive in delivering for farming and food in Northern Ireland.”
The NIFDA chair highlighted the need for Northern Ireland’s planning regulations to be overhauled, as a case in point.
Meanwhile, issues relating to the Windsor Framework were also highlighted at the NIFDA event
Guest speaker
The guest speaker at the event was Marks and Spencer chief executive, Stuart Machin.
He highlighted the significant levels of bureaucracy associated with the transport of food items from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Looking to the future, he cited the potential benefits of a new Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement between the UK and the EU.
The M&S representative added: “But we need to get beyond the sentiment of a deal to actual regulations being put in place. And the sooner this can happen: the better.
“London and Brussels must be prepared to work at the same pace as that achieved within the world of commercial business.”
