Michelle McIlveen
Strangford · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“Public confidence depends not only on effective enforcement but on enforcement being exercised fairly and consistently. <BR /> <BR />There is widespread concern across Northern Ireland about the condition of many of our lakes and rivers, and there are a vast number of factors that contribute to water quality challenges.”
“Although we support the overall direction of travel, I think that is appropriate to reflect on the concerns that have been raised and ensure that the legislation is proportionate, practical and capable of delivering its intended outcomes.”
“If we are therefore serious about improving our aquatic environment, every source of pollution must be addressed. New legislative powers are meaningful only if the Department has the resources, the expertise and the personnel necessary to implement them effectively.”
“There is, however, a need for accompanying clear guidance and support and for regulatory consistency and prompt decision-making. Delays, uncertainty and excessive bureaucracy will undoubtedly discourage investment and undermine confidence in the sector.”
“Subordinate legislation should not become a substitute for proper democratic accountability. Consultation and engagement must be undertaken before regulations are introduced, and I cannot overstate the need for stakeholder engagement. <BR /> <BR />I will now talk about the Bill's proposed enforcement powers.”
“The DUP broadly welcomes the Bill. As has been said, it provides an opportunity to modernise legislation that, in some areas, has remained largely unchanged for decades. The Bill strengthens the protection of our fisheries, improves the regulatory framework for aquaculture and enhances the management of our water environment.”
The complete record
Every one of 2,597 lines we hold for Michelle McIlveen, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 10 of 52.
“Animals from GB flocks that do not have an MV-free accreditation are sampled in isolation five months after importation. Animals from MV-free accredited flocks from mainland Europe and the Irish Republic are sampled on arrival. It is really disturbing that DAERA plans to stop carrying out that testing. It is proposed that 2025 will be a transition year for the industry to implement its own scheme. The DAERA recommendation is that farmers test their own sheep six months apart to get MV-free accreditation. That places further financial pressure on our farmers. Any potential scheme is likely to be expensive, which may affect buy-in. It would also affect how marts and shows work, with accredited and non-accredited animals needing to be kept apart with separate sheds and classes, as has been seen in Great Britain.”
“Maedi visna (MV) is a highly infectious viral disease affecting goats and sheep. It is transmitted through the ingestion of milk from a virus-infected sheep and within flocks through direct contact or contamination. It has no impact on human health. MV is a wasting disease in sheep, similar to lung cancer. The symptoms lie dormant for several years, so it is detected only in older animals. The disease is currently widespread in Great Britain and the Irish Republic. Until recently, Northern Ireland had just nine flocks testing positive for MV, low enough to maintain our MV-free status. <BR /> <BR />At present, DAERA samples any new arrivals into Northern Ireland from outside the island of Ireland to keep Northern Ireland MV-free.”
“With increasing policy demands being made of our farmers and spiralling costs from international instability, there is a need for an increased, ring-fenced, inflation-proofed and multi-annual farm support and development budget to support our farmers and the wider agricultural sector.”
“The message that the UFU is sending out is stark: without increased government support, the sector risks decline in farm incomes; increased job losses in rural areas; and a reduction in the production of the high-quality, sustainable food that a country relies on. <BR /> <BR />The basic farm payment is an investment in the future of rural communities. It is also an investment in the economy and in environmental sustainability and social well-being. I urge the Minister to be the advocate and policymaker whom the sector needs for its long-term survival. There are 670,000 people living in rural Northern Ireland, with thousands of jobs relying on farming and the wider agri-food sector.”
“The BPS is needed to cover the costs of those additional cattle, rather than for paying annual bills. In the absence or lowering of the BPS, farms such as that could not survive. <BR /> <BR />There is understandable despondency among the farming community. There are reduced margins; increased red tape; heightened risks of bluetongue, maedi-visna (MV) and bird flu; the unbalanced focus on farmers over Lough Neagh; and increasing demands to do more with less. The UFU tells us that the agriculture sector in Northern Ireland is at tipping point. There is a need for government intervention — financial and practical.”
“<BR /> <BR />TB is estimated to be costing £60 million, which is money that could be better spent in the Agriculture budget. I appreciate that a review is being undertaken, but there is a genuine concern among the farming community that the fundamental issues pertaining to TB will be kicked down the road. Despite that large sum of money, the disease is not being controlled as it is in our neighbouring jurisdictions. The current TB problems are closely related to the need for an adequate basic payment. Take a farm with 70 suckler cows, a £20,000 BPS and 65 suckler calves to be sold in the autumn. If that farm went down with bovine TB before the sale, the farmer would have to keep 65 extra cattle over the winter until the farm was TB-free.”
“For example, a farmer who wishes to install a new milking parlour that will reduce the time that the animals are milking and increase the time that they are outdoors at grass cannot get it through the planning system. That is madness. Last week's announcement on the A5 upgrade is welcome progress for improving road safety and connectivity, but there is still a huge amount of uncertainty for farmers along the route. Farmers who will lose farm buildings cannot get planning permission for new buildings because of inaction to address the anomaly in the current ammonia policy. Will the Minister undertake to address that issue for the farms that are affected? He needs to be an advocate for the local farmers who are affected in such instances.”
“Farmers are getting older, and it is getting harder to attract young farmers. Uncertainty, poor policymaking and a lack of financial support make that renewal even harder. I am delighted that the deputy First Minister, in her engagement with the Chancellor, made our concerns known regarding Labour's position on a possible change to inheritance tax and the impact that that would have on our farming community. <BR /> <BR />We have raised planning policy this term. The current environmental policy has stopped virtually all agricultural development in Northern Ireland. That is fundamentally wrong. Farmers who want to improve their farm buildings in order to improve their businesses and the environment cannot do so.”
“A ton of lamb pellets has increased from £200 in 2020 to £320 in 2024. In that time, the cost of a 580 kg straw bale has gone up from £40 to £130. One small Armagh dairy farm has 60 cows as its main enterprise. Its BPS total was £7,700. It will lose £700 from the 2024 BPS and a further £650 in 2025. That money would have covered conacre costs, which have increased from £160 per acre to £280 per acre. Milk prices are slightly above break-even, but, as I noted, input costs have increased significantly. How are smallholdings meant to survive? <BR /> <BR />In addition to the much-needed financial support, there is so much more that the Minister could do to help farmers create sustainability and effect necessary change. Inaction stymies progress. The Minister must be mindful of the need for generational renewal.”
“<BR /> <BR />It is evident that maintaining the level of direct support at 2020 levels is not sustainable. It ignores inflationary increases and does not take cognisance of the other pressures that farmers now face. We need to see future allocations being inflation-proofed in order to ensure that farm businesses are protected and treated equitably. That is vital for our food security, particularly given how uncertain and volatile global markets have been seen to be. <BR /> <BR />Safeguarding direct farm support needs to be central to government policy on promoting food production and food security. For example, since 2020, the cost of keeping a ewe has increased by £24 per animal. The cost of vaccinations has increased by 175%, the cost of worming and fluke by 75% and the cost of machinery by 100% — all in the past four years.”
“Whilst there is a strong argument that says that the UK Government should increase their budget, local Ministers can and must do more to help the sector. There is a need for major capital investment on farms to meet the challenges being faced through the demands that are placed on farmers to improve efficiency, reduce carbon footprints, invest in technology and develop expertise. Future support from DAERA needs to go towards helping productive farmers to produce food efficiently in an environmentally sustainable way. If the Minister walks away from previous commitments, that will result in a real danger that farmers will turn their back on the support scheme and will not claim any government support. That will mean that the Government have less ability to influence the sector and deliver necessary change.”
“Let us consider the challenges facing local farmers. For more than 10 years, inflation has not been factored into the Agriculture budget. It has been a cut, year-on-year, in real terms. The Government expect farmers to do more for less. Some 10 years ago, the CAP budget was in place to help to support the production of cheaper food. However, farmers are now expected to use the budget to reduce ammonia emissions, reduce their carbon footprint and produce food to a higher welfare standard, while somehow still keeping food prices low. A policy that started as a food policy expanded to a rural development and agri-environment policy, and now we have climate change, biodiversity, water and air quality and animal health and welfare issues to factor in.”
“The latest set of total income from farming figures (TIFF) show that income has reduced by around 46%. There are around 26,000 active farm businesses in Northern Ireland, which employ about 51,000 people. It is, therefore, a cornerstone of our local economy. <BR /> <BR />The UFU recognises:”
“<BR /> <BR />It is worth repeating how important the farming and agri-food sector is to our local economy. Food and drink production is worth £6 billion to the Northern Ireland economy. It is our largest manufacturing sector, supports a workforce of around 113,000 and is served by a range of other sectors, such as transport, animal health and construction. <BR /> <BR />Farms are required to undergo massive changes and meet huge challenges to become financially viable and more environmentally sustainable, including the target set by the Assembly under the Climate Change Act. The cost of production has also increased massively, and, of course, farmers also face the impact of changes in our climate. The basic farm payment is a hugely important in enabling farmers to manage and cushion market volatility.”
“I thank those who tabled the motion for bringing the important matter of financial support for farmers to the Chamber. The majority of western countries support farmers directly or indirectly, and they are our competitors for sales and inputs. Not addressing the issue puts our farmers and economy at a competitive disadvantage. <BR /> <BR />I acknowledge the inclusion of pillar 2 in the previous amendment. It is an oversight that the importance of rural development funding and the difference that it has made to our rural communities is not explicit in our amendment. However, the call for increased ring-fenced, inflation-proofed and multi-annual farm support and a development budget to support our farmers and the wider agricultural sector is missing from the motion and amendment No 1.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. I welcome the redevelopment of Killyleagh library in my constituency and the innovative way in which Libraries NI funded that transformative project. The Minister will be aware of my persistent lobbying for Newtownards library for the last 15-plus years. Can he give an update on that much-needed facility?”
“I thank the deputy First Minister for her answer. Will she commit to leading a cross-departmental delegation, including the Agriculture and Economy Ministers, to meet the Home Office to try to resolve the issues in respect of visas for workers who are needed in the sector?”
“Importantly, it also celebrates the history and heritage of the BB with a museum and an education centre. It still contains a large campsite for people who love to sleep under canvas, as well as three camping pods for those who need some level of comfort. <BR /> <BR />The range of people who come to use the facilities at Ganaway has also developed. It is not just BB members who come but young people from a vast variety of organisations and communities. During 2023, around 18,000 young people and adults attended the centre: school groups, the Scouts, Girl Guides, church groups and statutory youth groups. <BR /> <BR />All that is from a vision of a BB camp started 100 years ago. It is a place that offers so much opportunity. This is a fantastic achievement, and it is a fantastic facility.”
“The campsite proved incredibly popular, with more than 1,000 boys and officers attending one camp in the 1930s. The boys arrived by train at Donaghadee and paraded through the town towards Millisle. From Millisle, they marched on to Ganaway. From 1977 until the early 1990s, the BB and Belfast Education and Library Board operated a joint usage scheme. <BR /> <BR />Over the years, there has been continual investment in Ganaway, from the bare fields that were initially purchased in 1923. It is, of course, more than just a campsite. The site includes two modern log cabins, a sports hall, indoor and outdoor climbing towers, abseiling facilities, a zip line, an artificial caving complex, low- and high-level rope courses, an anchor-buoy trail, crazy golf, games facilities and so much more.”
“The land had been purchased using battalion funds, money from anonymous donors, a £500 interest-free loan from Reverend Cooper, who was the battalion president, and a house-to-house collection, which raised a further £200.”
“I congratulate the Belfast battalion of the Boys' Brigade (BB), as it celebrates 100 years of Ganaway training and activity centre, which is located on the picturesque Ards peninsula in my constituency of Strangford. On Sunday, I was privileged to attend a thanksgiving service to mark that significant milestone. <BR /> <BR />Camping has been a key part of the BB since its formation in Glasgow in 1881. After the first company was formed in Belfast in 1892 and after its first camp in Ballywalter in 1904, there was a desire to have a battalion campsite. In 1923, 12 acres of land at Ganaway were placed on the market, and the property was purchased by the battalion for £1,250, which is about £75,000 in today's money. The first camp took place in 1924.”
“The recycling of nappy fibres presents the Minister for Infrastructure with an opportunity to access longer-lasting and more cost-effective road surfacing at a time when there is continued chronic underinvestment in our roads. It is also an opportunity for the AERA Minister to take a massive step towards diverting tens of thousands of tons of recyclable waste away from landfill sites. We need both Ministers to be innovative, not just managers of budgets.”
“<BR /> <BR />Nappies have been collected in Wales since 2009. They are recycled in Japan, the Netherlands and Canada. How disappointing was it, then, to find that there was no mention of nappy recycling when the Minister consulted on his waste strategy to align with the targets under the Climate Change Act? When I raised the issue of nappy collection and recycling services with the Minister in questions for written answer, it seemed to be something that might be of interest to him, which pleased me, as I want to see the issue taken forward. The Minister's response, however, was that he would be reactive if local authorities were to raise the issue, yet is something that he as Minister should be driving from the centre.”
“In fact, Wales has achieved a 59% recycling rate, with Pembrokeshire County Council being the best-performing local authority, reaching an amazing 73·2%. Interestingly, Wales operates an opt-in nappy collection service through its local authorities that extends beyond nappies to other absorbent hygiene products. <BR /> <BR />Nappies contain recyclable materials, such as cellulose fibres and plastics, that are being thrown away in Northern Ireland. Members may be aware of a trial in Wales a couple of years ago, where nappy fibres were added to the bitumen on asphalt roads, and those roads were shown to last twice as long as other roads. Carmarthenshire County Council now resurfaces its roads with that product, hailing it as a prime example of the local circular economy in action.”
“In the Climate Change Act, which came into effect on 6 June 2022, there is, among other targets, a requirement that at least 70% of waste is to be recycled. The recycling rate between January and March 2024 was 46·4%. The AERA Minister wants us to reach 74% through the proposals set out in his consultation. <BR /> <BR />While there are various types of reusable nappies on the market, disposable nappies are still the most attractive option for parents. At present, the only bin that can take those disposable nappies is the grey bin, so they go straight into landfill. It has been estimated that nappy waste equates to around 3% to 4% of the residual waste going to our landfills: nearly 40,000 tons per year. Wales is the only country in the UK to have reached the 50% household recycling target.”
“The recent win in Glasgow also means that the band finished the year as the grade 2 supreme champion of champions band in both Scotland and Northern Ireland. I give a special mention to Ravara's drum major, Jamie Cupples, who came second in the adult drum major final at the recent World Pipe Band Championships in Scotland, adding to the remarkable list of prizes from this season. <BR /> <BR />The extent of Ravara's success this summer is nothing short of phenomenal. I put on record my congratulations and express on behalf of the wider community in my home village of Ballygowan how proud we all are to say that we officially have the best grade 2 pipe band in the world.”
“I congratulate Ravara Pipe Band on its success at the World Pipe Band Championships in Scotland last month. The band returned home from Glasgow as the 2024 grade 2 world champions. <BR /> <BR />Ravara Pipe Band has a long record of success locally, and it is fantastic to see its incredible achievement on the world stage more recently. This summer alone, Ravara Pipe Band won in the respective grade 2 categories at the Heart O'Down Pipe Band Championships; the Ulster Pipe Band and Drum Major Championships; the All-Ireland Band and Drum Corps Championships; the Mid Ulster Pipe Band and Drum Major Championships; the UK Pipe Band Championships for the third year in a row; and the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow Green.”
“Acknowledging those frustrations, will the Minister commit to changing those regulations, which are having a perverse impact on the outcomes that he wants to achieve?”
“When officials were asked at the Committee why planning applications for replacement buildings that would lead to lower ammonia emissions are not assessed differently to new developments, we were told:”
“The stories are the same in towns right across the area, be that the peninsula, Newtownards, Comber, Killinchy and so on. It is not just an issue of inconvenience to those residents; there is a knock-on effect on services and businesses. For example, if National Health Service appointments are missed, that has implications for the health service. That has happened multiple times during the period of postal delays. It is unacceptable. It is also unacceptable that Royal Mail should bury its head in the sand and not meet local representatives on the issue. Instead, we have a situation where the rumour mill starts to run wild with all sorts of speculation, which is fuelled by customer frustration.”
“One gentleman told me that he had been paid a tax rebate and a week later received the letter telling him that he was getting it. Another gentleman from Killinchy is unable to leave his home, so he could not go to the depot and was without mail for over two weeks until late last week, when a huge bundle of mail was dropped through his letter box.”
“It is not the service that people are paying for at a rapidly increasing price. Local residents appreciate that it is not the fault of the local postman, but, in the absence of any other explanation, there seems to be considerable foot-dragging on the part of Royal Mail in sorting it out. <BR /> <BR />My office receives at least four or five calls a day from across the area served by the Newtownards sorting office from people who are deeply concerned at the lack of service. Residents were told that they should collect their mail from the Jubilee Road depot. One gentleman, when he attended, was told that his mail was out for delivery, yet he did not receive it for another three days. Another lady from Cloughey was told last Thursday that hers was to be delivered the next day, and it still has not arrived.”
“For a number of months, residents served by the Newtownards sorting office have been suffering lengthy delays of several weeks in receiving their mail. There are residents who are missing important medical appointments and running out of vital medication. At the early stage of that, we were being told that there were staff shortages due to sickness. The problems continue, and I have contacted Royal Mail asking for a meeting to find out what steps it is taking to reach a solution, but I have heard nothing, unless, of course, it is using the post to give a response. I have raised the matter with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Labour Markets) highlighting the problems that local people face. <BR /> <BR />That is not the type of service that we expect from Royal Mail.”
“We were able to support those who were affected by adverse weather, so surely we can support those who were affected by the unforeseen circumstances of a 1941 bombing raid.”
“There were those who had to stay in B&Bs and hotels, and there was one group of elderly ladies who had just paid for an additional two-night stay when the bomb was set off and they were allowed to return home. They have been wrangling with the hotel chain ever since to refund the money. Others had to pay for accommodation for their pets. There was also damage to properties following the blast. We have no clarity as to whether insurance companies will cover the cost, and they certainly will not cover the excess. <BR /> <BR />Since the incident, I have written to the Minister and I have tabled a question on whether a one-off payment can be made. I have not received a response as yet, but I hope that we can offer support to those who were directly affected.”
“Special mention must go to the council's chief executive, leisure centre staff, the council's emergency response team and the council's communications team for stepping up at such short notice; the PSNI and ammunition technical officer (ATO) teams for their speed and professionalism; and the staff of the statutory agencies for their support and advice over the three days of the incident. <BR /> <BR />A message that came though loud and clear during and after the incident, however, was on the lack of financial support. Many residents who were displaced lost out financially. There were those who lost out on work because their vans or tools were stuck behind the cordon, as well as those who work from home but could not do so from their temporary accommodation.”
“Residents who had no alternative accommodation were able to come to the complex for shelter and support. The incident really brought out the best in our local community, with offers of rooms, support and even temporary homes for pets of all types. Given that the incident affected around 1,000 people, it is incredible how many people opened up their homes. <BR /> <BR />I spent some time at the hub over the three days of the incident, where I spoke to multi-agency staff, council staff and some of those who were displaced. I express my gratitude to those who were involved in the response to the emergency. I was contacted by a large number of residents, who had nothing but praise for the assistance that they received.”
“On 17 August, the police instructed the occupants of around 450 homes in Newtownards to vacate their premises the following day because an 1,100-lb bomb had been uncovered by workmen. The bomb was dropped in 1941 during a German bombing raid. The discovery of the Second World War bomb caused tremendous upheaval for the residents of Rivenwood, Old Forge, Stratheden and the surrounding areas. Residents were told that they could be out of their homes for five days or longer. Ards and North Down Borough Council opened an emergency support centre in Ards Blair Mayne leisure complex that included support and information from the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, social services, the Housing Executive and the police.”
“I thank the Minister for his response and welcome his announcement. Will he consider working with local councils, which have well-established links, particularly through sister cities? The relationships are already in place in the United States, and I will give an example of Belfast and Nashville. I also encourage the Minister and his officials to meet and discuss his proposals with the Ulster-Scots Community Network, which is the representative body for the Ulster-Scots community in Northern Ireland.”
“It is a fine balance between economic and environmental sustainability, and, at this time, it is simply unfair to expect farm businesses to make informed decisions where that clarity does not exist.”
“In England, for example, consideration has been given to how permitted developments could be extended to support investment. I encourage the Minister to speak to his counterpart in the Department for Infrastructure. I ask that he provides clarity and certainty to this hugely important sector. Help it to help him achieve the targets.”
“Yet, since the Department and the Minister have not taken up the opportunity to discuss those proposals with the most affected and those who would be required to abide by them — the primary stakeholders — no one is any clearer on what the direction of travel is. <BR /> <BR />It is important to strike a fair balance between improving farm performance and improving environmental performance. Can the Minister confirm when he intends to bring forward updated air quality standing advice? Given that equality screening was lacking in the original decision to suspend the standing advice, will he ensure that that is not repeated? Will he consult the UFU on his plans? Perhaps the Minister could also look at other jurisdictions in the UK with similar stringent ammonia restrictions.”
“Last year, DAERA consulted on a draft ammonia strategy, focusing on a range of measures that could be adopted on-farm to reduce emissions. That was underpinned by the following ambitions: reduce the total Northern Ireland agricultural ammonia emissions by at least 30% from 2020 levels; and reduce ammonia at internationally designated sites by 40% from 2020 levels. Last autumn, DAERA launched a survey to harness attitudes to investment among farmers and stakeholders. The Department is developing a capital investment measure under the new programme of farm support and development that, it claims, will provide financial support to help primary producers in the agricultural and horticultural sectors.”
“<BR /> <BR />The other concern is that the policy will be so restrictive as to indirectly result in a reduction in herd sizes to meet targets, rather than that happening through innovation. Although not explicitly mandating herd reductions, an overly restrictive policy can make that the only alternative. I hope that that is not the path that the Minister is considering. I hope that he will instead look at encouraging our farmers to adopt innovation and betterment. That is the only way to keep our sector competitive and economically sustainable. <BR /> <BR />Such concerns are borne out of a lack of engagement by the Department with the Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) on new protocols despite consistent and repeated offers from the sector.”
“However, the current process impacts all farm development, including the replacement of existing livestock and poultry sheds, which are effectively treated by the Shared Environmental Service (SES) and NIEA as new developments. Even where improvements can be demonstrated, NIEA can still recommend refusal, because it does not differentiate between new and replacement buildings in its approach. That means that farmers continue to use older, out-of-date buildings. This does not help farmers to tackle environmental issues. Will the new policy take betterment into account? Will it recognise that economic sustainability means that environmental targets are best achieved as a journey? Where else is the incentive to move?”
“Even setting aside the contradiction in how the current policy undermines the transition to net zero, it is clear that complexity and delays in securing planning permission for new buildings and technologies degrade the ability of our farm businesses and agri-food firms to compete at a time of great volatility and high-input costs. Furthermore, we all want to see health and safety improvement in agriculture and on farms. Yet, too often, those aims are stifled by the gridlock around ammonia. <BR /> <BR />In addition to that, there are concerns about what the replacement policy from the Department will be. That pig farmer's proposal may improve his emissions by 50%, which would be a significant betterment.”
“Farmers find themselves in an almost impossible position: targets are being placed upon them while they struggle to remain competitive. The Department should therefore step up and assist them, either through funding or a workable, pragmatic and clear policy. Take, for example, a pig unit built in the 1980s, which would not have been subject to current environmental regulation. A farmer may want to invest to improve that, but he is faced with a gamble in the planning system and a lack of funding to drive innovation.”
“I know that the Minister has accepted that a backlog of cases has accumulated since November last year, but we need evidence of a sustained effort to deal with those cases for the benefit of all involved. It is alarming that, out of 48 relevant planning cases dealt with by NIEA between December and the end of May this year, only four have been given the green light.”
“Of those 48, six raised no air quality concerns, seven raised air quality concerns, and only four were supported by the Department. In the remaining 17 cases, further information has been requested.”
“The reality of the issue is that, for a farmer, bringing an application could involve costs of between £10,000 and £30,000. With uncertainty and no clarity, such a spend is, in itself, a huge gamble on the part of the farm business. It has been well recognised that there have been considerable delays and uncertainty in the past seven years or so around agricultural planning applications. The Department's start-stop approach to ammonia advice has not just been frustrating for farmers but deeply disruptive to those with clear and legitimate aspirations to upgrade or invest in new agricultural buildings. <BR /> <BR />Between 19 December 2023 and 31 May 2024, NIEA responded to 48 agriculture-related cases under its interim ammonia policy.”