AGRICULTURE & RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Spokesperson: David Ford MLA

(Last updated: 30 April 2004)

Northern Ireland contains many rural communities that are reliant on the agri-food industry, providing employment and a valuable contribution to our Gross Domestic Product.

Like any other sector, the forces of modernisation and globalisation cannot be ignored or wished away. Alliance will provide the leadership to face these challenges and more, to ensure the vitality and success of our food and drink industries.

Change will also occur from EU and UK-wide legislation. Alliance will assist farmers more in adjusting to new policies, and we will provide an adequate timescale for change.

MANIFESTO PLEDGES (2003 NI Assembly)

• Implement the ‘Vision Action Plan’an extensive modernisation programme by DARD. Assisting structural adjustment and raising farm performance are particular priorities.
• Bring about greater co-ordination between the Department for Agriculture & Rural Development and the Department of the Environment over agri-environment and planning policies.
• Earmark 10% of production subsidies for environmental schemes, as recommended in the report of the Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food in England.
• Ensure that money directed towards agri-environmental schemes directly benefit farmers. Modulated funds should not be used for other aspects of departmental expenditure. Alliance will explore ways in which farmers can produce environmental benefit while increasing farm income.
• Give farmers the option of receiving their direct support payments in euros.
• Initiate a re-examination of the Rural Planning strategy, to promote balanced development, including farm diversification, in rural areas of Northern Ireland.
• Promote the highest standards of agriculture. We need to move away from commodity production, and develop niche markets, including organic foods, building on our existing green image. Alliance opposes the introduction of genetically-modified crops.
• Initiate a pilot scheme of ‘demonstration farms’, based on the New Zealand model, and as recommended in the Policy Commission report. Northern Ireland suppliers will be more competitive and efficient with a more direct, traceable route to market.
• Improve the relationship between suppliers and retailers in Northern Ireland We will highly encourage suppliers, retailers and food service companies to sign up voluntarily to the ‘Code of Practice on Supermarkets’ Dealings with Suppliers’.
• Codify all existing regulations into a single web site, categorised around events in the lifetime of the farm. We will also seek ways to reduce and improve the efficiency of regulations.
• Devise and implement a comprehensive animal health strategy, by working with DEFRA and further consultation. Informed consumers will need to support highest welfare standards with their purchasing decisions.
• Develop a strategy for organic food production. This will cover research, development, standards and marketing, and address all parts of the food chain. We will seek practical ways to promote the production of more locally produced organic food.
• Extend compulsory country of origin labelling. We endorse the efforts of the Food Standards Agency to improve food labelling policy.
• Facilitate more and better quality educational visits to farms, in partnership with the voluntary sector.

POLICY PAPERS