UK and EU urged to 'intensify efforts' to provide clarity for NI agri-food sector
Political pressure is growing at Stormont to secure agreed post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland’s agri-food sector.
Speaking in the Stormont Assembly, Sinn Féin MLA and vice chair of Northern Ireland's Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (AERA) Committee, Declan McAleer, called on the UK government to take urgent steps with the EU to protect farmers and secure veterinary medicine supplies.
He believes this will be essential to preserve Northern Ireland's vital dual market access.
McAleer explained: ''In 2016, the people of Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU, and that democratic choice still resonates strongly today.
“I firmly believe that our long-term future would be best served by eventually rejoining the EU, and I welcome the clear assurances from EU leaders that, in the event of Irish unity, we would automatically regain full EU membership.
''From an agricultural perspective, the Windsor Framework has been essential in managing the trading realities created by Brexit.
“It has prevented the return of a hard border, upheld the Good Friday Agreement, and protected our unique dual market access.
The AERA Committee vice chair said this dual access for Northern Ireland's agri-food sector "provides a significant economic advantage" for farmers and rural communities.
"For example, one third of the milk produced in the north, around 800 million litres each year, is exported to the south for processing. This trade is vital to our agri-food sector," McAleer said.
''It is important to acknowledge that many of the challenges we now face, including difficulties with veterinary medicines, could have been avoided had the original backstop arrangement been accepted rather than choosing a harder Brexit.
“These issues are not theoretical - they affect farmers, manufacturers, hauliers, pharmacists, and families in every community.”
UK-EU partnership
The West Tyrone MLA is urging the UK government to find practical, long-term solutions in partnership with the EU.
Aligning with EU standards, he believes, would significantly reduce trade friction and provide much-needed stability and clarity for Northern Ireland's agri-food industry.
McAleer said: “The EU-UK Joint Committee remains a crucial mechanism for resolving issues, strengthening food security and supporting rural livelihoods, and I strongly support its continued use.
''While there has been some improvement in the supply of medicines, with routes now able to run through the south rather than Britain, challenges remain, including concerns over access to key vaccines such as the botulism vaccine.
“It is vital that both the British government and the EU intensify their efforts to reduce these disruptions and protect our agricultural sector.''
AERA chair
Meanwhile, the chair of the AERA committee, Robbie Butler MLA has also addressed these matters in the Assembly debating chamber over recent days.
He told the chamber: “We were told Brexit would bring opportunities, and we were assured the Windsor Framework would provide certainty.
"Instead, farmers, vets and agri-businesses have been left in the dark and out on a limb.
“The latest confirmation from DEFRA that 10 to 15% of veterinary medicines will be discontinued with some sectors facing even higher losses shows just how far reality has drifted from the repeated promises made to this sector."
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) MLA said that scrutiny committees in both Westminster and Stormont have "repeatedly warned that Northern Ireland is heading toward a cliff edge", yet he noted that progress from the UK Government and the European Commission has been "painfully slow".
“Confidence has been further damaged by shifting timelines, mixed messages and a lack of clear leadership," Butler said.
"For an industry already dealing with soaring costs, volatile markets and increasing regulatory pressure, this uncertainty is intolerable.”
