The farming industry is a vital part of the rural economy in NI and has an important role in delivering environmental improvements, the chair of a policy think-tank has said.

Ballycastle man Patrick Casement is leading an inquiry in NI by the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission (FFCC) which aims to influence UK government policy in various areas after Brexit.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, Casement said that despite government talking about public money for public goods (often environment-linked), a support payment to supplement farm incomes will still be needed in NI after Brexit.

“In the environmental sector there is a recognition that if farmers are not there to farm, who is going to look after the countryside and put into place environmental improvements?” Casement said.

“Farming is at the heart of rural society and the rural economy depends on having that bedrock of people in the countryside that are doing something productive,” he added.

FFCC is a UK-wide inquiry which is gathering views on how food, farming, the environment and public health are connected. There are also separate local inquiries taking place within other regions of the UK, with Casement leading the NI consultation.

“Our land tenure system is different, our farming is almost entirely livestock-based, we are net food exporters rather than importers, we will share a land border with the EU; there a whole range of factors there that make us quite different to other parts of the UK. It is important that we have a voice in the debate,” he said.

Concerns

FFCC was set up by the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA). Some concerns were initially raised that the panel in NI had a lack of farmer representation.

Casement said that Poyntzpass farmer John Best has since joined FFCC and added that the panel was formed as a group of individuals who are not representing other organisations.

The plan for FFCC is to publish a report in March 2019 followed by a period of lobbying politicians and policy makers. “We can’t be sure of success, but we want to raise the debate,” Casement said.

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