Edwin Poots
South Belfast · Democratic Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“I call Mr Eóin Tennyson. Again, this is Mr Tennyson's first opportunity to speak as a private Member, so I remind the House that it is convention that a maiden speech be made without interruption. However, if you choose to express views that provoke an interruption, you are likely to forfeit that protection.”
“Sorry — Ms Armstrong. My apologies. <BR /> <BR />That the Assembly could, in some way, get that money out when it is a UK Government responsibility. The UK Government have distributed it directly in Scotland and Wales, not through the Welsh Parliament and not through the Scottish Parliament.”
“I have not got time; I am sorry. <BR /> <BR />Ursula von der Leyen, who was in the Republic last week, made some of the most ridiculous claims about the British Government, who have supported Ukraine in a way that no other Government in Europe have and who have never engaged in the activity that was suggested by Ursula von der Leyen.”
“Today, a lot of statements have been made but there has not been a lot of fact behind a lot of what has been said. We have Michelle O'Neill, who walked out of her role as Health Minister — not for six months but for three years — and abandoned her position when we had Bengoa and there were all the problems with nursing that led to the str…”
“I need to deal with the issues first. <BR /> <BR />He referred to the Budget that he produced. No party supported that Budget. The Alliance Party did not support it, because it did not cover policing and prisons. Infrastructure did not support it, because it would not allow it to do the basics of what had to be done.”
“We had a circumstance where Sinn Féin repeated, month after month after month, that there were hundreds of millions to give to the public when that did not exist and when, in reality, Minister Murphy was racking up debt that will roll into next year, which will ensure that that will be a difficult financial year.”
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“I want to support the people who are reliant on farming for a living, and if someone receives large amounts of money that goes into the hundreds of thousands, they are somewhat less reliant than people who operate with perhaps £15,000 of profit in a year. It is hard to feed your family and to keep a home with that sort of profitability.”
“For 2020-21, I do not intend to change the capping that is in place, but I make it clear that I intend to change capping going forward. As we discuss these issues, I do not believe that some of the payments are appropriate. I know that some of the farms are large-scale, but, as we go forward, I would prefer to see the money spread more evenly and to see a greater proportion of farmers who are not just as large in scale receiving it. I would also like to deal with some of the hobby farming that takes place, where there is no real reliance on farming but people maybe keep a small acreage in order to engage in the hobby of farming.”
“I have made it clear to officials that, when an independent panel makes a decision, it is the final decision.”
“I used to find it incredibly frustrating when, having represented a constituent who, having won a case at an independent panel, received a letter from an Agriculture Minister — generally, the Agriculture Ministers were named Michelle at the time — indicating that they were overturning the decision of the independent panel. I have made it clear to my officials that I will not be overturning the decisions of an independent panel. Why have an independent panel look at these things, give an assessment of how the Department came to its point of view on what the individual who made the claim had done, arrive at a conclusion on the information presented, only then for a pen to be put through that decision? It is entirely inappropriate and I will not be doing that.”
“<BR /> <BR />I have a number of pieces of legislation that I intend to bring forward, but I do not think that I can achieve an agriculture Act in the proposed lifetime of the current Assembly.”
“One of the problems that we have is that this mandate runs out in 2022. For any legislation to get through now is going to be particularly challenging. You have the consultation process, there is then work to do with the Office of the Legislative Counsel (OLC) in developing the legislation and then the normal process of going through the Assembly, which can take up to a year. <BR /> <BR />Whilst I would like to do an agriculture Act — that is something that is desirable — I am not sure that we will have the capacity to do it in the time frame available, particularly given that the UK has just passed its Agriculture Act. Whilst it is not perfect for us, it certainly gives us considerable cover.”
“We want to encourage further production, but we want to do it in a way that is sustainable. The Department is working towards that, rather than just saying, "This is a problem, so we will stop doing that and that will end the problem". We need to address the issues that will resolve the problem, but that will still allow sustainable food production to continue.”
“If you go into many parts of County Tyrone, for example, you will see that many chicken houses have been built there, and those properties have ensured that people who have an agricultural skill have been able to stay on a farm that would not otherwise have been productive enough to keep them. Sustainability is about having a sustainable environment, economy and food production. <BR /> <BR />Therefore, on all of this, dealing with a problem is not done through the blunt instrument of planning; it is actually about tackling the issue of ammonia, which needs to be addressed. The Department is working very hard to bring forward proposals on that issue that will make a significant impact on reducing the ammonia emissions and, consequently, will negate the damage that would be done to the environment by further production.”
“I cannot speak for Shared Environmental Services because it is paid for by councils and is independent of the Department. NIEA is responsible to us, although some Members would prefer that we have an entirely independent environmental protection agency. I suggest that the Members who look for an independent environmental protection agency look at the role of SES before considering whether that is what they really want. <BR /> <BR />In some of the more marginal areas, where the land may not be as productive for the likes of big dairy and beef farms, a lot of people have ensured the renewal of their farms through building chicken houses.”
“I trust that the vaccine will allow us to move on from this, but as a consequence of COVID, we are going to be left with debts that are akin to debt that would be achieved by a war. Ultimately, that could put pressures on public finances, and that could impact on us.”
“We, along with other devolved Administrations, continue to raise these issues with the UK Government, so we take the opportunity at inter-ministerial group meetings to raise the issues of continued support. We continue to receive reassurances on that front, but we will continue to keep pressing the case for agriculture and the environment in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />It was probably a much easier case to make pre-COVID, as there was a fair bit more money in the system, but if the UK Government has to keep borrowing money at the rate that it is — I know that other European countries are in the same position — then that is going to put pressure on every other area, and that is something that we need to be alert to. The COVID crisis is creating unsustainability with regard to the public finances.”
“Moving away from the CAP creates an obvious benefit in that respect without creating any environmental detriment. So, there will be areas such as moving away from the CAP, which was a very broad-based scheme for all of the European Union, where we will be able to make support systems for farming that are bespoke to our needs. Therefore, I believe that we can drive greater productivity and better environmental outcomes at the same time by developing our bespoke scheme, and I look forward to working with the Committee in doing that.”
“Anything could happen. We also could be advantaged as a consequence of moving away from CAP. I indicated that I will remove the greening requirements, which are much more applicable to large grain-growing areas in France, the east of England and so forth and are not of benefit in Northern Ireland.”
“On the environmental side, there are significant advantages to growing protein crops in Northern Ireland, which is why I want to take that forward.”
“Such a scheme is currently available in the Republic of Ireland. As I understand it, close to €100 per acre of support is available. It has been used there. <BR /> <BR />There are three particular advantages to growing protein crops. First, it increases rotation. Protein crops are good for soil in that they break it up quite well. Secondly, protein crops — for example, beans — capture nitrogen from the air. We have an issue with nitrogen deposition into our peatlands, so something that removes nitrogen from the atmosphere is positive. Thirdly, protein crops grown here will displace — I recognise that the displacement will be small — some of the requirement for the importation of grains such as soya, which are grown largely in South America, where an element of that is grown by removing rainforests.”
“<BR /> <BR />I assure the House that, in developing the future agricultural framework and our approach to future agricultural support payments, I will consult with the full range of agricultural and environmental stakeholders and keep you all updated. My ultimate aim is to ensure that we take full advantage of the opportunity to develop a sustainable agriculture industry in which farmers are supported on an equitable basis. That will be underpinned by a set of bespoke measures that will ensure the delivery of productive, environmentally sustainable, resilient and supply chain-focused outcomes tailored for Northern Ireland.”
“I believe that the reduction of the payment to zero is an adequate deterrent against speculative claims involving the declaration of a large proportion of ineligible land. <BR /> <BR />I have asked my officials to review the approach to the application of cross-compliance penalties as soon as possible. My aim is to ensure that penalties are proportionate and reflect the seriousness of the non-compliance identified. As I said, using the primary powers in the UK Agriculture Act, secondary legislation to give legal effect to the 2021 scheme is being drafted. I will bring this forward under the draft affirmative procedure.”
“That brings the approach into line with the young farmers' payment. The aim is to prevent very large allocations from the reserve to individual farm businesses, which are difficult to justify but which cannot at present be prevented. That change will also reduce the incentive to submit speculative claims or to exploit the reserve. <BR /> <BR />I will limit over-declaration penalties to 100% of the amount due based on the area determined. That will eliminate the need to apply offset penalties in subsequent years. At present, in some cases where an over-declaration is large, the over-declaration penalty exceeds the payment due prior to penalty. In such cases, the payment is zero, and the outstanding part of the over-declaration penalty is offset against future payments made to the business over the next three years.”
“It is also important to remember that landscape features such as hedges and sheughs will continue to be protected under cross-compliance. <BR /> <BR />On the capping of payments, given that the changes for 2021 do not have a primary aim of altering the amount of funding that farmers receive in 2021, it is my intention to make a technical adjustment to deliver a neutral solution on capping. That is for 2021 only, however. I will want to look at capping more closely as part of the longer-term approach to support, and I have asked officials to bring forward options for consideration. <BR /> <BR />For 2021, for applications from young farmers and new entrants, I am limiting the number of entitlements that can be allocated or topped up from the regional reserve to 90 for each application.”
“<BR /> <BR />Greening rules have added significant complications to the administration of direct agriculture support payments for applicants and those administering the scheme. Removing greening will also greatly reduce the inspection requirement associated with the direct payment regime. Incorporating the greening payment into the overall BPS entitlement values will mean that farmers will see no difference in the funding that they receive. The protection of environmentally sensitive permanent grassland will be enhanced by incorporating those rules into the basic payment scheme rules. <BR /> <BR />Whilst work on the development of bespoke environmental measures takes place, Northern Ireland's robust set of environmental laws will continue to provide protection against biodiversity loss.”
“As currently designed, the objective of the greening requirements is to address a particular set of problems in cereal-producing regions where there is a predominance of very large fields that are devoid of landscape features and used for monocropping. The evidence is strong that the greening requirements of crop diversification and ecological focus area (EFA) retention have very limited relevance to Northern Ireland. If anything, they seem to have been counterproductive, by reducing the area of cropping and thus the diversity of land cover and habitat. My view is that, rather than persist with that failed initiative, it is much better to focus efforts and resources on developing bespoke environmental measures that will ensure the delivery of environmental outcomes tailored to Northern Ireland that are adequately funded.”
“With that in mind, from 1 January 2021, I have decided to implement a number of changes. I have already announced that I will remove the greening requirements for the 2021 scheme year and incorporate the greening payment into the basic payment scheme (BPS) entitlement unit values. I will, however, retain the ban on ploughing or conversion of environmentally sensitive permanent grassland under BPS rules.”
“Those include the role of capital support; generational renewal; upskilling and professional development; opportunities to develop the horticulture sector; and supply chain initiatives. I hope to say more about those in the early part of next year. <BR /> <BR />Although work is progressing to develop the long-term agriculture support strategy, I want to make some early changes that start to move us in the desired direction. I have therefore asked my Department to review our approach to the current schemes and to implement, where possible, improvements and simplifications that are in keeping with the longer-term direction of travel and that can be taken forward under the Agriculture Act 2020.”
“A major part of the new agriculture framework will be the agrienvironment programme. As I have indicated, we need to create a regime that properly incentivises and rewards the protection of existing environmental assets and the creation of new ones. We will work with our farmers, land managers and environmental stakeholders to co-design a new approach to agrienvironment measures that is focused on delivering outcomes and a lasting legacy. We have the opportunity to create an approach whereby management of the environment becomes a profit centre within a farm business rather than a cost centre. <BR /> <BR />My officials are looking at a range of other issues that will contribute to a new agriculture policy agenda.”
“I intend to introduce for 2021 a protein crop scheme for growing combinable beans, peas and sweet lupins. Those crops will create a domestically produced source of protein for animal feed and provide agronomic benefits within arable rotations. I intend to introduce it for 2021 on a pilot basis and then refine the approach for subsequent years to maximise the economic and environmental benefits.”
“That will take time, but it is my intent to move as quickly as I can on that in order to provide the budget necessary to deliver new schemes and approaches. <BR /> <BR />As part of that package, I wish to use a proportion of the agriculture budget to fund coupled payments, targeting, for example, suckler cow and breeding ewe producers. It is important to stress that that would not be a return to the coupled payments of the past. We need to design in features that will help achieve the goals of increased productivity and environmental sustainability. I have tasked my officials with completing a comprehensive review of the options for coupled support payments, and I hope to consult on it during 2021. <BR /> <BR />I will say something about coupled support for protein crops.”
“Careful analysis is necessary to identify an appropriate design of that mechanism that can reflect issues such as scale of operation — that is to say a cap on the maximum payment and, indeed, a minimum lower threshold — activity and so on and that is set in the context of a cross-compliance regime that is designed specifically for Northern Ireland to help to deliver policy outcomes.”
“<BR /> <BR />The current working assumption is that the budget for future agricultural support payments for the remainder of the Parliament will be similar to the current direct agricultural support budget of £293 million per annum, plus a proportion of the pillar 2 budget. That ring-fenced funding will need to cover all the support measures that we wish to introduce. Current direct agricultural support is distributed by a decoupled area-based payment. I do not believe that that mechanism, as it stands, will deliver the outcomes and the agricultural industry that we wish to see. Nevertheless, I want to explore the role for a basic, area-based resilience payment that provides a safety net, but that must not blunt the incentive to become more productive and deliver better environmental outcomes.”
“I also believe that farmers should be properly rewarded for delivering those environmental outcomes and achieve a return on the environmental assets present on their farms. This offers a way forward where better economic performance and better environmental performance are the inseparable twin goals of any sustainable farm business. <BR /> <BR />The House will be aware that the UK Agriculture Act gained Royal Assent on 11 November. I very much welcome the Act, because it provides a platform on which we can start to move forward. Ideally, I would like to have had a locally developed agriculture Act taken through this House. However, that was not possible in the time available to us, but the Agriculture Act that we do have provides us with sufficient scope to introduce the changes that will set us on a new pathway.”
“My focus is now on how we can best deliver the outcomes with the tools and resources that I have at my disposal. <BR /> <BR />Today also allows me to once again put on record that, going forward, I want to devise support schemes that provide opportunities for all our farmers — no farmer should be left behind. Schemes and support are needed to help farmers to develop their business, no matter where they farm, to become more efficient and to maximise the sustainable returns that they can achieve from the assets at their disposal. Those assets include the environmental assets on their farm. I believe that farms, especially those on hills and other disadvantaged areas, are well placed to play a major role in delivering more of the environmental outcomes that the people who live here want and that we owe to our future generations.”
“<BR /> <BR />Those four outcomes complement and reinforce each other, and they are broadly supported by stakeholders. A healthy and sustainable environment secures long-term agricultural productive capacity and underpins resilience. Productive agriculture minimises waste and maximises resource efficiency, which underpins environmental performance and reduces exposure to market risk. Furthermore, an integrated and efficient supply chain ensures that agricultural activity is properly focused on delivering market demands, thereby minimising wasted effort, wasted resource and inefficient supply chains and reflecting broader societal demands for sustainable production methods. The primary tools available to us — science, education, incentivisation and regulation — are applicable in helping to deliver all those outcomes.”
“This is the most significant change in policy to affect the agricultural sector in over 40 years. It means that our policies do not have to be constrained by the EU CAP pillar 1 and pillar 2 construct. We need to move to something new that better addresses the needs of Northern Ireland agriculture. It represents a unique opportunity to develop a new dynamic for key stakeholders across the food, agriculture and environmental spectrum to work with the Northern Ireland Government to chart a new way forward with common purpose. For that to be successful, it is vital that the long-term outcomes of productivity, resilience, environmental sustainability and supply chain functionality be kept to the fore, which will demand difficult choices, compromises and strong leadership at all levels.”
“In June 2020, I announced my intention to bring forward a co-designed environmental strategy, entitled the green growth strategy, on behalf of the Executive. It will align economic growth and development with the protection and enhancement of natural assets. The Northern Ireland future agricultural policy framework has been developed in line with the green growth principles and will help to deliver its objectives. I anticipate launching that new future agricultural policy framework in early 2021, and I will update the House further at that time. Today, however, I want to broadly outline my vision for future support payments. <BR /> <BR />Leaving the EU provides for an unprecedented level of regional discretion and flexibility with regard to future agricultural support in Northern Ireland.”
“A number of projects have now been established in the Department to collate evidence, identify gaps and develop policies that will help to deliver those outcomes.”
“<BR /> <BR />Those outcomes are: an industry that pursues increased productivity in international terms, closing the productivity gap which has been opened up with our major suppliers; an industry that is environmentally sustainable in terms of its impact on, and guardianship of, air and water quality, soil health, carbon footprint and biodiversity; an industry that displays improved resilience to external shocks, such as market volatility and extreme weather events, which are evermore frequent and to which the industry has become very exposed; and an industry which operates within an integrated, efficient, sustainable, competitive and responsive supply chain, with clear market signals and an overriding focus on high-quality food and the end consumer.”
“<BR /> <BR />In 2018, my Department undertook an engagement exercise on a potential future agricultural policy framework for Northern Ireland. In that proposed framework, officials, in conjunction with key food, farming and environmental stakeholders, identified four desired outcomes and a long-term vision for the Northern Ireland agri-food industry.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to talk to the House about my long-term vision for agricultural support in Northern Ireland. I also intend to announce a number of simplifications and improvements that I am making to the rules that govern the direct payment scheme for the 2021 scheme year. <BR /> <BR />Pillar 1 of the common agricultural policy (CAP) provided £293 million of direct support to Northern Ireland's farmers per annum. CAP payments have been of major importance in sustaining the industry in Northern Ireland and underpinning its competitive trading position. They have accounted for 79%, or £1·88 billion, of the cumulative total income of the Northern Ireland industry over the seven years from 2013 to 2019.”
“We will want to consult on that appropriately. I would like the consultation process to be shortened a bit in order to give the House and the Office of the Legislative Counsel time to do the work that they need to do. We know that there is public demand for it. Therefore, we will want to consult and see what public expectations are. At the same time, it is necessary for legislation.”
“For example, the UK legislation that is coming in sets a recycling target of 65%. I believe that we, in Northern Ireland, can achieve that and more. Whilst the law is set at 65%, and we have to agree to that, my preference is for a recycling target of 70%. I am giving that only as an example. We can all identify what is achievable. We have achieved much higher rates of renewable energy than any other part of the UK. Going forward, it is for the Department for the Economy to drive that. <BR /> <BR />Ultimately, I would like to see us get to the point of using and producing entirely renewable energy. However, I believe that 70% is achievable in the not-too-distant future. That is a course of work that we can engage in. We will set the targets for all those issues. <BR /> <BR />We are keen to progress our own climate change legislation.”
“<BR /> <BR />We also see a benefit in having a joint approach with the Republic of Ireland in dealing with invasive species, and the joint development of the pathway action plan with Ireland is a two-strand approach. <BR /> <BR />As well as working with GB on a UK-wide basis, it would be beneficial to manage invasive species collectively. At this point, there is no formal agreement. However, that is, of course, the work that we are doing.”
“Therefore, it is very useful to have conversations with colleagues in other areas about how they have identified invasive species and can help to deal with them. <BR /> <BR />We are looking at issues such as hull fouling, horticultural escapes, contaminants of ornamental plants, ballast water, stowaways on fishing equipment and zoo or botanic garden escapes. All those things pose a threat to us. In addition to assisting GB plans, we are working on a Northern Ireland recreational boating pathway action plan, which will be followed by a horticultural plan. All those final plans have gone through consultation processes and will eventually be published.”
“We have a significant problem in a number of areas with invasive species, and we need to meet that challenge head-on. In Northern Ireland, there have been considerable problems over the years with invasive species such as Japanese knotweed. Muntjac deer have also been a problem, although they are becoming less so. Of course, one of the very common invasive species is the grey squirrel, which has led to there being considerably less red squirrels. <BR /> <BR />More recently, the Asian hornet has developed into a problem and there are issues with the various barnacles that can be picked up by the boats on Lough Erne that travel up and down the Shannon and so forth. Those invasive species do not recognise borders.”
“Those are all courses of work on which my officials are engaged, and I will liaise with the Assembly and the Committee as and when we get qualitative information on that.”
“On managing the environment, one only has to look at what happened in Donegal this week. Something certainly went wrong there, which has implications. Those who were seeking to create renewable energy caused that, so how we do things can have an important impact on our infrastructure. <BR /> <BR />On our carbon infrastructure, one of the things that was done in previous years was to install drainage in our uplands. We have now discovered that much of that drainage work has led to a drying out of peatlands, which has the consequence of reducing our carbon storage. <BR /> <BR />It is critical that we do the right things to ensure that we mitigate climate change, reduce greenhouse gases and store more carbon.”
“Quite a series of actions are taking place as a result. We do not need to meet all the time to do that. Actions are decided, subgroups are set up and officials are set tasks. I think that you can see from that that many tasks are being fulfilled.”
“My Department is undertaking a study on end-of-life fishing gear and recycling and waste disposal. That evidence will be provided to the group. DAERA continues to input into the pilot project that is being led by Scotland into a supply chain approach to reducing plastic pellet loss. Northern Ireland continues to have high levels of participation in Eco-Schools, which is something that we were working on. That is about encouraging our young people and educating them on the threat to the marine environment, in particular. <BR /> <BR />In Northern Ireland, we are developing marine protection areas, looking at ocean acidification and my officials have participated in blue carbon workshops and in sharing examples of cross-border cooperation and work to identify other effective conservation measures.”
“There are courses of work that we can do to ensure that, in the first instance, considerably less plastic is used and, consequently, less plastic gets into our waters.”
“We considered climate change issues particularly around the seas and the impact that they have on the marine side. There is the issue of warmer waters and the consequences that come from that. There was also a strong focus on the pollution of the marine sector. A particular issue that was discussed at length was that of plastics and the beads that can get into our waterways. There is so much more that can be done to ensure that our waterways and marine life are protected from that. There is a course of work for us, as government, to drive forward in terms of plastics. I have already introduced an initiative to remove single-use plastics from the government system. I want to move forward on single-use plastic bags and reconsider what we are charging at the minute. It is only 5p; I think that that needs to be raised.”
“It was not raised at the meeting, but the Member has raised a very important issue. We know that there are large trawlers with multiple nets, which harvest large quantities of fish. A lot of those emanate from France and Spain. Of course, they will not be in our waters if we have the right conclusion to the negotiations that are taking place this week.”
“Afforestation was not part of the agenda, but I know that there are organisations that are dedicated to ensuring that land that is currently in a forest remains that way. That is certainly something that we should support; if tree planting is taking place and we have created woodland, it should not be taken away. There are those who grow trees to be harvested, which is fair enough because those trees will continue to capture carbon, but we want to encourage the retention of forests with more traditional trees and native species.”