DAERA budget

The budget allocation for 2016/17 for the new Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) represents a significant challenge for the Department, MLAs were told on Tuesday at the Assembly’s Agriculture committee.

The new Department is facing a budget cut of 5.7% or £11.9m, which is on top of the savings of £29.9m that have already been met by DARD during the current financial year. “Put simply, we are going to have to deliver our business differently in the future if we are to meet our customers’ expectations,” said Graeme Wilkinson from DARD.

The largest saving will come under the NI civil service Voluntary Exit Scheme (VES). Savings of £4.9m will be made under VES in 2016/17 in DAERA following savings of £5.6m in the current financial year under the scheme in DARD.

In total, the equivalent of 318 full-time posts will leave the Department under the scheme. However, DARD will not be taking part in a fifth tranche as further staff reductions would leave the Department unable to deliver on its programme of work.

Extra jobs from price legislation

Representatives of Farmers For Action (FFA) and the NI Agricultural Producers’ Association (NIAPA) were on the steps of the electoral office in Belfast earlier this week handing in a report on the state of farming in NI, which makes the case for legislation on farm gate prices.

The report has been prepared by Paul Gosling, a journalist and author, specialising in finance and economics. It points out that farming incomes have collapsed, particularly in NI, many farms are run at a loss and 25% of UK farmers are living in poverty.

“An extra 10,000 to 20,000 people could gain employment through farmgate price protection,” concludes Gosling.