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.”
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“<BR /> <BR />A lot of misguided comments have been made on social media about the change to inheritance tax relief on agricultural land. They come from people who clearly know nothing about farming or about agriculture in general. They see figures such as £1 million, £3 million or more and think, "Yes, that should be subject to inheritance tax". They do not, however, take into account the fact that, while they may be worth millions, the farms are not liquid assets. The value is not realisable until the farm is sold, and, once sold, it ceases to be a functioning farm or ends up in some corporate farm. A family facing a huge tax bill simply does not have the money sitting in a bank. <BR /> <BR />Farming is a dangerous profession, accounting for 47% of workforce fatalities in 2023-24.”
“In most cases, APR could be applied at 100% to agricultural land that was being inherited, meaning that it had a value of zero for inheritance tax purposes. BPR applied where the land had a development value, and, if the owner had an operating farm business, it could also be applied at a rate of 100%. <BR /> <BR />Those reliefs meant that farms could pass from generation to generation without attracting inheritance tax liability. Families could avoid having to sell agricultural land to pay a large tax bill. The Chancellor has announced that full APR and BPR combined will be limited to £1 million and that relief for anything over that will reduce to 50%. As a result, farmers with assets of over £1 million will face inheritance tax of 20%.”
“In turn, that will impact on farm prices in the UK, the brunt of which will be borne by the working person's pay packet, and on our food security when local food producers begin to drop out of the market. <BR /> <BR />The context of the announcements is that there are about 26,000 active farm businesses in Northern Ireland, employing about 51,000 people. Inheritance tax is payable at a rate of 40% of the value of the deceased's estate. Certain reliefs and thresholds, however, can reduce that liability. Agricultural land attracts two types of relief: agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR). APR applies to the agricultural value of the land, while BPR applies to any value above the agricultural value.”
“The autumn Budget was a disaster for farming families and the rural community. The 6,000 people who attended the Eikon exhibition centre last night will attest to that. It was a Budget dreamt up by a socialist Government with no consideration for rural communities. While the new thresholds for inheritance tax and agricultural property relief have taken up the headlines, other announcements that the Chancellor made have negative implications. Cumulatively, taking into account the already precarious situation that local farmers face owing to policy inaction, the announcements will have a devastating impact on the viability of farming going forward.”
“We need a balanced strategy with the aim of eradicating the disease, rather than managing a failed policy, which is costing tens of millions of pounds every year. The Minister must also look at all the evidence and bring forward a delivery plan and, potentially, legislative provisions that will deliver the best outcomes for farmers and for our wildlife. <BR /> <BR />There is an acceptance by the farmers of what they need to do and what they are doing, but the Department needs to address the fundamental and underlying problem. I look forward to the Minister's proposals over the next few weeks.”
“This still requires a substantial proportion of the badger population to be vaccinated over significant areas to ensure that the desired result is achieved. The DUP recognises that vaccination will play a key role in long-term strategies to eradicate bovine TB in our herds and in the wider wildlife population. We also recognise that that is some way off. If there is to be a deliverable strategy to address the continued rise of bovine TB in Northern Ireland, the Minister will have to make some difficult decisions. Those may be decisions that he personally is uncomfortable with, but they are needed to address this problem for the good of the industry and wildlife in general. We need to see meaningful progress.”
“The effectiveness of the approach has not been tested appropriately to produce reliable data, as too few badgers in the local area were trapped, meaning that a significant proportion of infected badgers would still have been at large. The test, vaccinate and remove approach comes with significant costs, and it is very intensive. The cost of the research project over five years, covering an area of 100 square kilometres, was around £4·5 million. It resulted in 108 badgers being removed, out of a total of 1,240 that were captured, at a cost of around £3,700 per intervention. <BR /> <BR />The stated direction of travel in England and the Irish Republic seems to be vaccination following a reduction in the badger population.”
“However, vaccinations are only effective on uninfected animals, meaning that a vaccination strategy would leave a large number of infected badgers, which, in turn, would lead to ongoing transmission of TB between badgers. <BR /> <BR />The alternative that could be considered is a test, vaccinate, remove (TVR) approach. That requires all, or almost all, badgers in an area to be captured and tested. The test must also be very accurate in correctly identifying those badgers that are infected and those that are not. This approach was trialled in Northern Ireland over a five-year period as part of a research project, rather than a pilot intervention or DAERA intervention policy.”
“That shows why it is important to address the problem in wildlife as part of any strategy. <BR /> <BR />Intervention is shown to have a measurable effect on bovine TB, and that is an important indicator of the contribution that badgers make to the spread of infection. There is a range of measures relating to wildlife intervention that could be looked at beyond a simple cull. Culling, whilst seen to be effective within those cull areas, can have a detrimental impact by disturbing badger social groups and increasing the ranging of badgers. That could spread TB to new badger groups and put other areas at risk. Furthermore, culling is not a long-term solution. Alternatively, there is vaccination instead of proactive culling.”
“in fact, 10·4 times more frequently, and —”
“Disease modelling consistently shows that having a wildlife reservoir of infection is key in maintaining the bovine TB epidemic. O'Hare and others advise that the simplest scientific explanation is that the reservoir is the infected badger population. Crispell and others reached the conclusion:”
“Therefore it would be foolish, when bringing forward a comprehensive and holistic bovine TB strategy, to ignore the need for some kind of wildlife intervention. Hence the need for that to be explicit in the motion. <BR /> <BR />Important work on genotyping isolates of TB has been carried out and informs research on the subject. That has shown that strain families can be identified that show that TB infection is local. It also shows that the strain types found in badgers very closely match the strain types found in cattle in the same location. That indicates an intimate connection between the species and the transmission of infection. However, it does not explain the direction of infection. Genome sequencing has indicated that transmission occurs both ways.”
“A review of the risk factor literature relating to the UK and Ireland was carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Agency. It reviewed 4,255 papers and concluded:”
“Given the increase in the numbers of TB reactors that have been seen so far this year, that figure will rise further. Bearing in mind the rising cost to the public purse, the Minister needs to look at a range of options to address the problem, and that includes wildlife interventions. <BR /> <BR />Badgers are much-loved animals and are symbolic of the British countryside. However, we know that the presence of badgers or access to badger-contaminated material such as silage clamps is one of several risks that increase the likelihood of infection. Farmers are, of course, alert to the need for biosecurity. Other risks include slurry spreading and the nutritional status of the animals. The scientific literature on the subject repeats that time and again.”
“There are further costs in setting up isolation units, and there are cash flow problems if cattle fail a TB test. Our farmers are desperate for support and an effective plan to eradicate bovine TB. <BR /> <BR />The status quo will continue to cost the taxpayer millions of pounds each year that could be spent in other ways if the disease were brought under control. As we know, all TB reactors are removed for immediate slaughter, which may sometimes include full herds, if that is deemed necessary to stop the spread of the disease. We also know that the Department pays compensation at 100% of the market value for animals testing positive for TB. We know that the Department spent just under £55·7 million in tackling the disease last year.”
“If figures for this year are indicative of a trend, we are now at risk of seeing the disease spiral out of control. <BR /> <BR />A key factor is the transmission of TB from wildlife to cattle and vice versa. Ideally, we want to see healthy, thriving wildlife and healthy, thriving cattle that are free from TB. An outbreak of bovine TB has devastating consequences for farm businesses. It has not only a significant financial impact but an emotional impact. I know that to be so from visiting farms around the country during my time as Agriculture Minister and from those in my constituency who have come to see me as their local MLA. Not every farm has a handling pen, and those that do may have only one in one area of their farm. That could result in a farmer spending the day gathering up cattle for testing.”
“I thank the Members who tabled the motion for highlighting this important issue, which faces livestock farmers across Northern Ireland. All of us who represent rural constituencies are acutely aware of it, and many of us have referred to it in other debates and in questions to the Minister. <BR /> <BR />The eradication of bovine TB became departmental policy in 1964, but, 60 years later, the incidence of the disease remains high. Sadly, the Department's efforts have been largely unsuccessful. In 2023, TB herd incidence exceeded 10%, and, in the first half of 2024, a 22·5% increase in TB reactor animals was seen. In the UK, only Scotland is officially tuberculosis-free. The current departmental policy is a continuous cycle of testing, removing and compensating. While that has slowed the spread of the disease, it has not eradicated it.”
“Whether it is the NIEA or an independent environmental protection agency, it is imperative that a body be appropriately funded and staffed. Will the panel look at the performance of NIEA in the correct context while recognising underfunding? What process was undertaken to identify and appoint the panel? Is it not somewhat disingenuous to suggest that the recommendations "may contain proposals", when two of the panel have already stated their desire for an independent environmental protection agency?”
“I thank the Minister for his statement. Given that the climate change targets that the Assembly set are somewhat unrealistic and are unlikely to be met, and given that the Minister has not yet secured a financial budget to deliver them, will he consider introducing amending legislation to adjust the targets in order to ensure that meaningful climate change is deliverable?”
“Minister, will you join the Ulster Farmers’ Union and the National Farmers' Union at the rally in Westminster on 19 November to show solidarity with our farmers?”
“Now more than ever, all of us, not just the farming sector, need our Agriculture Minister to finally step up.”
“When we have raised with the Minister the problems that are being faced by the farming sector, he has not exactly been forthcoming in his support for it. When he could not stand up to his officials to give support for potato farmers last winter, how can the farming sector rely on him to fight for it in budgetary allocations when there is no ring-fenced budget? Those problems were compounded in the same Budget, with the inflation-busting rise in the national living wage. With farm incomes already down by 46%, an employer's national insurance hike, threats to the agriculture budget and the weakening of agricultural property relief, it is hard to see how farmers are going to meet the challenges without raising food prices massively, which, of course, will hit all of us, especially hard-pressed families.”
“The weakening of agricultural property relief will heap further pressure on the future of family farms. That will accelerate the breaking up of farms and drive more young people away from farming at a time when more are needed in the sector. That will affect our food security. A £1 million cap sounds high to the layman, but there are few viable farms worth under £1 million, and even those are not high earning. A viable farm is not necessarily a wealthy farm. Many farmers do not even pay themselves. <BR /> <BR />Previously, agriculture and fisheries funding was a ring-fenced addition to our Budget. The Chancellor has announced her intention to include it in our block grant. That will mean that it has to compete against the big beasts of Education and Health.”
“Any decision of the magnitude of that announced last week has the potential to have a devastating impact on those who live and work here. Last week, the Chancellor hit the agriculture sector with a triple whammy: the weakening of agricultural property relief; the removal of ring-fencing for the agriculture and fisheries budget; and the inflation-busting increase in the national living wage. <BR /> <BR />So far this term, we have highlighted the pressures that are already being faced by our local farmers, including the ammonia regulations that are choking development; bovine TB not being addressed; the real-term reductions in the basic payment scheme over the past 10 years; the huge inflationary and wage costs accruing over recent years; and the devastating impact of the winter storms on last year's potato crops.”
“The headline of the recent Budget announcement from the Chancellor of the Exchequer was the raising of £40 billion in additional taxation through taxes that the Labour Party repeatedly claimed it would not be raising throughout the general election campaign. The impact of that on farmers is what I want to speak about. <BR /> <BR />When we talk about agriculture, it is worth remembering that it is worth £6 billion to the Northern Ireland economy, that it is our largest manufacturing sector and that it is a cornerstone of our local economy. It is also worth noting that around 36% of our population live in the countryside and that there are around 26,000 active farm businesses in Northern Ireland, which employ around 51,000 people.”
“The thousands of members of the public who have signed petitions on the matter recognise that; the majority of our councils, who have passed such motions, recognise it; and the Chamber has recognised it each time that the issue has come before us.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Minister said in June of this year that he would seek the views of the Irish Government on a register and potential all-island cooperation. What have been the outcomes of those discussions? What conversations has he had with other devolved Administrations and the UK Government about a joined-up approach across the British Isles? <BR /> <BR />We also face the situation that the current legislation does not cover animals being kept by family members in the same household as a banned individual. That is a complicated issue for enforcement, and I ask the Minister to look specifically at it. <BR /> <BR />I hope that the Minister agrees that animal welfare should be at the heart of the matter. It is about prevention of harm above all else.”
“One of the primary causes identified by the USPCA is the lack of monitoring of banned animal abusers. A register would assist in addressing that. A register means having a central point to access key information to assist enforcement authorities in policing animal cases and for reputable dealers and rehoming charities to screen those purchasing or adopting an animal. It would also be a useful tool for those who care for animals to check potential employees for their status on the register. As part of that, we ask the Minister to work with his Executive colleagues to review safeguards against those with such convictions from later being employed in roles relating to the care of animals.”
“<BR /> <BR />The disproportionate cut to council animal welfare services will have a devastating impact on enforcement against offenders and the protection of animals. We understand the budgetary pressures facing all Departments, but it is up to the Minister to decide how he distributes his budget. Cutting funding in half cannot be justifiable if the Minister wants councils to be able to do their jobs. <BR /> <BR />We believe that the introduction of a register will be a useful tool. There is a recurring problem of animal cruelty offenders who, although banned from keeping animals, reappear, sometimes in a matter of weeks, charged with new animal cruelty offences. That is because authorities and rehoming charities have no knowledge of that individual's status.”
“However, as a party, we are clear on our belief that Northern Ireland should have high animal welfare standards. <BR /> <BR />We are committed to ensuring that animals are cared for and that those who abuse animals are adequately punished. It is important for us that agencies that have statutory and legal responsibilities for animal care and welfare enforcement are properly supported and adequately funded and have the appropriate tools to carry out their jobs. It is on that basis that we have campaigned in election after election. While we have some of the toughest legislation against animal cruelty in the world, with raised maximum custodial targets and the introduction of Finn's law to give greater protection to service animals, we need additional legal measures to prevent reoffending and avoidable harm to animals.”
“Once the court has imposed a ban on keeping animals, it notifies the centre of the decision. Information from the register may be disclosed by means of an extract from the register, which may be ordered in writing from the Court Registry Centre. Information from the register may also be disclosed by authorities specified in the legislation. GDPR is enforced in Finland, as it is here. It is a semi-closed register, where a fee must be paid to check whether an individual is on the register. If data protection concerns can be addressed there, they are not insurmountable here. Other places, such as Tennessee, have an open register that holds the name and address of the offender. I appreciate that such a register would be difficult to have, given our data protection laws and the risks that it might pose to those on the register.”
“Anyone required to register is prohibited from owning, possessing, residing with, having custody of or intentionally engaging in any physical contact with any animal. The registration period lasts for five years after sentencing or, if incarcerated, five years after release from prison. Failure to register is an offence in itself and can result in up to one year in jail, a fine of $1,000 or both. Animal shelters, animal rescue groups, pet shops and other animal-related businesses are required to check the register and refuse to sell or transfer ownership of an animal to anyone appearing on it. New York City operates a closed register that only specified organisations can access. <BR /> <BR />In Finland, the Court Registry Centre owns and maintains its register.”
“The register envisaged would be a readily accessible register of convicted animal abusers who have been banned by the courts from keeping animals. Those on such a register should have a legal duty to update their details should they move house or change their name. The Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (USPCA) has welcomed the increased penalties, including bans, but believes that a register of banned offenders is essential to make such bans effective. <BR /> <BR />Concerns have been expressed about data protection issues around such a register. In June of this year, the Minister committed to gathering information on whether a register has worked effectively elsewhere. I will refer to two examples: New York City and Finland. In 2014, New York City Council passed the Animal Abuse Registration Act.”
“My former colleague Robin Newton championed it, and the mantle was taken up by another colleague, Keith Buchanan. While the Minister has said that he will explore options, we are still no further forward on the issue. That is meant as a criticism not of the Minister but of the slow grind of the bureaucratic machine that operates under him and other Ministers. Such a law would put a stop to unethical breeding enterprises, and I look forward to it eventually becoming a reality. <BR /> <BR />The other step and the subject of the motion is the establishment of a register of banned animal welfare offenders. The Assembly has been debating that for over 10 years, and, each time that it has been debated, the motion has been passed. Since 2016, seven of our councils have passed motions calling for the creation of a banned offenders register.”
“Councils have a responsibility to enforce animal welfare regulations in respect of non-farmed animals. Under the budget provided to them, they provide advice, issue improvement notices, take animals into their possession where there are extreme cases of suffering and take enforcement action. That work is carried out by nine welfare officers operating across the 11 council areas. In 2022, councils secured 20 convictions, and the PSNI, which deals with animal fighting and other animal-related offences, secured a further 12 convictions. <BR /> <BR />There are steps that have not been taken, steps that not only have the support of political representatives but have strong public support. They include Lucy's law, which bans third-party puppy sales.”
“<BR /> <BR />As a result of legislation passed by the Assembly since 2011, we have brought enforcement for animal welfare to local councils; increased the maximum sentence for animal cruelty in Northern Ireland to five years in prison; and brought into force, this year, the Pet Abduction Act, which makes it an offence for a cat or dog to be taken from a person with lawful control of the animal. Those are all positive steps forward. <BR /> <BR />It is disappointing to note that DAERA has cut resource funding for animal welfare departments in councils from around £1·2 million in 2019-2020 to £625,000 in 2023-24. Even without taking into account inflationary and increasing wage pressures, that is a huge cut to what was already a tight budget.”
“Cruelty against animals is a despicable crime. We are, proudly, a nation of animal lovers. Like many in the Chamber, I was brought up in a home with pets who were very much part of our family. The idea that anyone could be so cruel as to harm an animal that looks to us for food, care and shelter is horrendous, and we should be taking all necessary and reasonable steps to ensure that our animal protection and enforcement measures are robust and effective: robust in punishing and deterring offenders and effective in preventing harm to such animals.”
“There was next to no media coverage of the First Minister and deputy First Minister's attendance at the international investment summit in London or, indeed, of the Council of the Nations and Regions last week in Edinburgh. Why were local media not given access to those events? Was it related to the First Minister hiding from media scrutiny because of the safeguarding scandal in Sinn Féin?”
“A river basin management policy may set the strategic direction for achieving water quality, but the real litmus test for success will be in the outworking of those headline Executive policies. Wider agreement between the Executive and HM Treasury on a fair, long-term and needs-based fiscal framework would assist the third cycle river basin management plans immeasurably. The impact of chronic underfunding of public services is clear in the regression in water quality and the condition of Lough Neagh. Part of the solution is the restoration and retention of adequate funding of our Departments. We can have all the world-class policies and plans that we want, but they are useless without the necessary funding.”
“There should be targeting of deliberate and repeat offenders, and that should go hand in hand with advising and educating all sectors with responsibility for preserving water quality. There should be consistency in enforcement and punishment. A blind eye should not be turned to the repeated crimes of a public authority while farm businesses are heavily fined. Any river basin management plan should recognise progress achieved to date and ensure close synergies with existing strategies and projects such as the Living With Water programme and the soil nutrient health scheme. <BR /> <BR />The Executive will also be required to press ahead with policies that encourage green growth and deliver agricultural policy that adopts a results-based approach to farming with nature and gives clarity on ammonia.”
“Northern Ireland Water (NIW) will undoubtedly be constrained by its budget and by the lack of movement on constitutional change that might allow it to raise the capital funds needed to address sewage overflows and pressures facing water infrastructure. That does not mean that other sectors should carry an inordinate or disproportionately high burden. The scale of the contribution made by agriculture, for example, will depend on a guarantee from the UK Government about the level of funding available to support farm businesses directly or through rural development budgets. We want to see drastic improvements in water quality, but budgets are finite, and not just those in the public sector. Progress must therefore be sustained and sustainable. The plans should therefore avoid broad-brush approaches to enforcement.”
“<BR /> <BR />Partnership working is crucial, and any programme of measures needs to be co-designed rather than imposed in order to maximise the success of implementation and outcomes. That means that DAERA, DFI and their arm's-length bodies, such as the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and DFI Rivers, need to work collaboratively with local councils, households, businesses and, in particular, our farming industry. <BR /> <BR />Although we may have sympathy with what the OEP said about the need for water body-specific environmental objectives as part of the river basin management plan, there is also the question of proportionality.”
“<BR /> <BR />River basin management plans are an opportunity to focus on localised issues of concern and to identify solutions specific to those catchment areas. Some concern has been expressed in recent years that that localised focus has been weakened, including in the recent draft, which was consulted on. Does the Minister intend to proceed on that basis, or does he recognise that a one-size-fits-all approach for all of Northern Ireland may not be appropriate? Will he consult on the final river basin management plan? Will he ensure that future implementation and governance structures are catchment-based? Those are important considerations, and I ask the Minister to address them in his response if he can.”
“Any plan needs to be underpinned by targeted initiatives to prevent pollutants from entering our waterways. Further enforcement action must be proportionate and justified for those who repeatedly or deliberately pollute our rivers or lakes. <BR /> <BR />The Minister outlined an intention to finalise the ongoing review of the most recent draft of the river basin management plan by December. I understand that that will introduce a new programme of measures, and, given recent interventions by the Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) and the OEP, it is appropriate that he be afforded the space to ensure that the final plan represents a fair outcome for all sectors that are impacted on.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. <BR /> <BR />I thank the proposer for tabling a motion on this important issue. The Democratic Unionist Party wants to see a concerted and cross-sectoral approach taken to addressing both the sources of pollution and the means of improving water quality, be that in Lough Neagh or in rivers and lakes across Northern Ireland. Our river systems are a precious natural resource, but, tragically, in some instances, they are becoming nothing more than open sewers, in which habitats are destroyed, biodiversity is lost and lasting socio-economic damage is caused to those living and working in affected areas. <BR /> <BR />Water is fundamental to sustaining life and growing our economy. A multi-agency approach is imperative in order to address poor water quality.”
“We cannot reconcile our commitment to that cause with support for legislation — however technical it may be — that maintains and, potentially, deepens regulatory divergence between different regions of our United Kingdom. We will not endorse regulations that continue to treat our largest and most valuable market as a foreign country. For those reasons, we will vote in favour of the prayer of annulment and encourage other parties to join with us.”
“<BR /> <BR />For producers, it is notable that the regulations bring the potential for certification, and brewers in Northern Ireland will have to declare information about hops harvested on their land by a different date in the year than brewers in Great Britain. It may well be the case that the practical impact of that divergence will be limited right now as there are no hop producers in Northern Ireland. However, that cannot be guaranteed moving forward. <BR /> <BR />The Democratic Unionist Party will continue to fight to fully restore Northern Ireland's place within the United Kingdom. That, in our view, means removing the application of EU law in our country, and the internal Irish Sea border that it creates.”
“The regulations relate to EU law that covers the certification and import of hops. As a result of the protocol, Northern Ireland is expected to stay in lockstep with changes that have been imposed by Brussels in this aspect of our economy despite those provisions continuing to treat Great Britain as a third country. Under the regime, EU attestations of equivalence are mandatory for any business that is looking to move to Northern Ireland hops or hop products that are grown or processed in Great Britain. The latest regulations would provide a digital route to demonstrating that equivalence. Ultimately, however, they do nothing to deal with the root of the problem: the fact that there are different and more stringent requirements for moving goods to Northern Ireland compared with other parts of the United Kingdom.”
“Despite the upheaval being based on budget cuts to the DAERA Veterinary Service, when I asked the Minister for the cost of testing for MV in each of the past 10 years, he told me that it was not retained in a readily available format. What financial advice is DAERA basing the cuts on, given the vulnerability being thrust on the sheep sector by this ill-thought-through proposal? Keeping Northern Ireland MV-free is vital for animal health and trading status. One farmer said that MV has the potential to be the bovine TB of the sheep sector. That is something that the House should not allow to happen.”
“Due to the different schemes operating in Northern Ireland and Great Britain, that could have a negative financial and social effect on the industry. <BR /> <BR />Last week, over 100 commercial and pedigree sheep farmers met to voice their concerns. The industry is willing to act responsibly but would prefer Northern Ireland testing to lie with the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) and be administered by Animal Health and Welfare NI (AHWNI). If DAERA does not keep up border checks on the importation of sheep, MV sheep could be imported into Northern Ireland. DAERA has said that it needs to look at the cost of border checks, which need to be funded by industry.”