Farmers in Northern Ireland have dealt a major blow to the Department of Agriculture and Agriculture (DAERA) after the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) unanimously passed a motion of no confidence in the Department of Agriculture (DAERA).
DAERA oversees agriculture, environmental policy and rural affairs in Northern Ireland, but its relationship with industry is increasingly strained.
The UFU executive’s vote reflects growing anger among farmers over the ministry’s lack of support for the sector on key issues, from bovine tuberculosis and ammonia control to climate policy and agricultural support programmes.
UFU president William Irvine said the move was first mooted in the summer following a “flawed” Dietitian Action Plan consultation.
The union gave DAERA time to respond, but frustrations had grown “over the past few months on a number of other issues”, prompting Wednesday night’s decisive action.
Mr Irvine said the result “demonstrates UFU members’ deep dissatisfaction with the department’s response to important issues affecting farmers”. He added that the union had been working in “good faith” but that goodwill “was not rewarded by DAERA”.
Among the main complaints were delays and failures in a range of policies, including wildlife interventions to control bovine tuberculosis, ammonia regulation, planning and nutrient management, support for the sheep sector, and generation renewal under sustainable agriculture programmes.
“There continues to be an unfair focus on agriculture when it comes to climate change and Lough Neagh,” Mr Irvine said, adding that the recent AFBI data breach had raised concerns about data security.
He concluded: “Our members currently have no confidence in DAERA’s ambition or ability, and this unanimous vote of no confidence unfortunately reflects very clearly DAERA’s failures and inadequacies.”
The vote sent shockwaves through Northern Ireland politics. DUP agriculture spokeswoman Carla Lockhart MP said it was a “serious and damning indictment” of Minister Andrew Muir and his department.
“This is a major move by the UFU Executive and a wake-up call to the Department of Agriculture,” she said, adding that it revealed “the deep anger and frustration that exists across our farming and rural communities.”
Ms Lockhart accused DAERA of being “anti-rural, anti-farmer and anti-common sense” and cited “incomplete consultation” and a failure to engage with stakeholders.
She argued that the department’s response to key policies such as the Nutrient Action Program and Bovine Tuberculosis Control had undermined confidence among farmers.
“Farmers across Northern Ireland are left feeling insecure, ignored, sidelined and burdened by policies that have little understanding of the realities on the ground,” she said. “For too long, the people who feed us and keep our countryside going have been ignored and betrayed.”
The UFU’s decision represents one of the strongest rebuke to DAERA yet from within the farming community, and is a clear sign that trust between the agency and farmers has reached a breaking point.
