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.”
The complete record
Every one of 3,549 lines we hold for Edwin Poots, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 6 of 71.
“Of course, it is for the Government to decide, but I am making it clear that we need more butchers and more people who can carry out that work in the factories and it is sensible to have a migration policy that ensures that businesses can operate fluidly. The previous open-door policy was not sustainable in the long term.”
“We have engaged in much correspondence and raised the issue verbally with UK Ministers regularly, whether that was Ms Truss in her roles or George Eustice and other Ministers. We have ensured that they are very aware of the problems that the food industry faces. It is not just the food industry here; the food industry across the United Kingdom and, I have to say, the food industry in the Republic of Ireland also face those problems. It is not an issue related to leaving the European Union that has caused the problems; it is an issue of the Government's policy on allowing people to come into the country.”
“The consumers — the ladies, gentlemen and young people — who are going in and out of those shops to buy goods do not need to have one of my vets checking those goods, because the goods, which come from Great Britain, are of the highest standard anywhere in the world, and we should ensure that access to those goods is as free as possible for each and every citizen.”
“I thank the Member for the leading question. The first thing that I would put on the bonfire is the protocol, because, as it exists, it is damaging to every person in Northern Ireland due to the unnecessary and onerous burdens and checks that it puts in place. We can get a reasonable position with the European Union to provide the protections that it needs but ensure that there are no checks between Great Britain and Northern Ireland on products that will remain in Northern Ireland. That is a reasonable outcome for the people of Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />I see some Alliance Members shaking their heads. I do not understand why they want to have checks on goods that remain in Northern Ireland. Our Asdas, Sainsbury's, Eurospars, Vivos — whatever it happens to be — pose no threat to the European Union.”
“Those would also require a significant number of identity and physical checks. To be clear, that is five times the number of checks that currently take place.”
“Even with the grace periods, Northern Ireland's points of entry are currently processing in excess of 2,500 common health entry documents (CHEDs) a week and over 10,000 a month. Approximately 90% of those CHEDs relate to products of animal origin, and they must be validated and recorded by one of my Department's official veterinarians, which is a complete waste of their time. In addition, each consignment that is covered by a CHED requires an identity check, and European Union law dictates that a range of physical checks are also required, with frequency depending on the type of consignment. Were the grace periods not in place, it is estimated that Northern Ireland's points of entry would be required to process in excess of 12,500 CHEDs a week across all consignment types.”
“Oh right: will I give way to the real Minister, Mr O'Toole? <BR /> <BR />Even with the grace periods”
“The latest statistics show that the average farm business income of cattle and sheep LFA farms is expected to increase from £20,454 to £21,181, which is an increase of £727 or 4% per farm, whereas the average farm business income of cattle and lowland farms is expected to decrease from £21,242 to £20,793, which is a reduction of £449. If the Member wants to talk about fairness, she should agree that we cannot take money off farmers whose incomes are going down in order to supplement farmers whose incomes are going up.”
“Hill farmers were significantly advantaged as a result of the changes that took place 10 years ago or thereabouts, and the ANC payment was made on top of that. The then Minister O'Neill found that payment to be unsustainable and that is why she extended it for only two years and did not make it a permanent extension. You may want to contact the then Minister O'Neill, the former deputy First Minister, who will advise you as to why she was not able to have a permanent ANC payment and why the business plan did not support that. <BR /> <BR />That said, the average producer price for sheep increased by 18% from £4·52 per kilo dead weight in 2020 to £5·35 per kilo in 2021. The average prices in 2020 and 2021 were 11% and 32% respectively above the 10-year average for sheep prices.”
“<BR /> <BR />We do not have the same opportunities to do that with sheep, and, therefore, those farmers did not get that enticement to improve their practice to the same extent. Nonetheless, sheep farming has done reasonably well over the last two years.”
“Our future agricultural policy will seek to encourage people to farm and to engage in farming activity. Whilst the greater volume of money remains with the land-based payment, there are some enticements, in particular, for suckler cows, which are considerably beneficial in allowing hill farmers to move forward. The enticements are there to ensure that farmers can operate in a more environmentally friendly way, including having shorter periods for calving, shorter periods between calvings and reducing the time between birth and when the animal goes to slaughter. All of that will help us to ensure that Northern Ireland's carbon footprint is not just competitive but ahead of other places: that is why those steps were taken in that area.”
“There is every possibility that we will have food shortages this year on the back of what is happening in Russia and Ukraine, and people need to recognise and realise the risks involved. I am requesting a meeting with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to discuss these issues and to get a better handle on where we might stand on them, but I have my own obvious concerns as a consequence of what is going on. The consequences will be significantly greater than the consequences of Brexit, which people talk an awful lot about. I put that to the Chamber. We really need to be prepared for what might come if this turns into a prolonged war in Russia and Ukraine, and there is every likelihood of it heading that way.”
“Ukraine is a supplier of cereals to Northern Ireland, and that has implications for the chicken, pork and dairy industries, in particular. We will seek to identify other sources, which will probably be North American, but prices going up is an inevitable consequence. There is a significant issue there. As I indicated in a previous answer, Russia is a big supplier of nitrogen, and that causes its own problems. I have absolutely no doubt that the sanctions imposed on Russia will lead to the availability of nitrogen being more challenging. That is a price that has to be paid, because we cannot tolerate Russia's behaviour. At the same time, it has a consequence for the amount of food that we are capable of producing, because nitrogen is a key nutrient for our soils.”
“If there are any requests from public representatives for us to meet members of the public who have concerns about anything that is going on in our properties, we will, of course, always be willing, ready, prepared and open to meeting those people to discuss issues with them and to hear their concerns. Their concerns will very often be our concerns, and very often the general public are the first people to notice that something is not right and alert us to it.”
“Sometimes, people see a tree being cut down and do not like it, and that is understandable, but there is usually a very good reason for that to happen, particularly in our forest parks. Destroying good trees is not what we are about.”
“Our forest parks are very important to us, and we have made substantial investment in them in conjunction with local authorities. Fantastic work has been carried out in a whole range of our forest parks. Indeed, I was most recently in Gortin Glen forest park, and there has been substantial investment in that area. Right across Northern Ireland, a considerable amount of work has been done. <BR /> <BR />There will always be tree felling in forest parks; that is the nature of it. Some of it will be to deal with ash dieback, for example, and other tree diseases, and some of it will be to remove trees and thin out the trees to allow greater biodiversity in areas of the forest or, indeed, to create opportunities for new planting.”
“We have had the public consultation, and it is important that we consider everything that was received in response to that consultation. Whilst I would like to do it, I do not think that my Department will be able to publish the strategy during this mandate. However, the work is done and is ready and will be considered during purdah. The officials will continue to work on it and, should we have an Executive, it will be ready and prepared for a new Minister to enter the Department, on the other side of the election — that is if we have an Executive.”
“We also look at the environmentally protected areas that the water bodies support — I know that this is particularly important in County Fermanagh, because there is a lot of water — whether they are experiencing pressures related to the water environment and whether the water bodies are upstream of areas of potential significant flood risk. <BR /> <BR />Therefore, a considerable amount of work is being done. It is important that we ensure that water and air quality is improved, particularly in constituencies such as Fermanagh and South Tyrone.”
“The College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise's (CAFRE's) advisory service was set up in April 2018 as a single advisory service to provide advice and support to potential applicants. The sustainable land management branch in CAFRE delivers advice to farmers across the key areas of air quality, biodiversity, land management and water quality. In collaboration with AFBI, it delivered a pilot scheme that included soil testing and nutrient advice, and the Department has secured funding to roll that out further. <BR /> <BR />As to how catchments are prioritised, we look at the status of a water body and whether it has deteriorated or stagnated.”
“<BR /> <BR />Furthermore, I intend to consider the findings from the public consultation on a wide range of options for Northern Ireland’s first clean air strategy. I will further consider how a pilot catchment-sensitive scheme to address air quality issues could be integrated into that strategy.”
“A sustainable catchment pilot project to address water quality issues has started recently and is being delivered in partnership with the Rivers Trust across three catchments in Dundrum, Ballinderry and Upper Bann. The project provides advice, combined with capital support, to farmers to implement on-farm measures that aim to reduce impacts on the water environment. <BR /> <BR />Last summer, I visited the Upper Bann catchment, where my Department has established a research project in collaboration with the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) and has introduced our pilot soil analysis scheme and an environmental farming scheme group project. It was encouraging to meet the scientists and farmers and hear that we are starting to see improvements in water quality.”
“Both are obtainable, and the European Union, in particular, needs to recognise the problems that it is causing and the reality that it will achieve what nobody else has been capable of achieving: the grinding to a halt of the political aspect of the peace process in Northern Ireland. That will be on the hands of the European Union if it chooses to dig in its heels and not cooperate.”
“First, I am delighted that Kilbride Central Primary School, the excellent primary school that the Member mentioned, is desirous to do that. I would encourage it to apply for the rural community pollinator scheme. We are making £1·51 million available to up to 183 applicants. It would be good if that school were one of them. <BR /> <BR />The Member raised a political issue that needs to be resolved between the UK Government, which introduced the protocol, and the European Union in a way that protects the European Union's single market and the single market between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.”
“I thank the Member for raising that point, because land abandonment is a significant issue. It was a significant issue a number of years ago in Scotland when many crofters left the land, and a consequence of the wilding that took place after that was less biodiversity. People need to wake up to the fact that managed land can improve biodiversity and that wilding land often leads to less biodiversity. <BR /> <BR />Farmers are keen to engage in all these things. They are keen to ensure that they improve biodiversity on their land. We see that in the uptake of environmental farming and other schemes whereby farmers are out planting trees and hedges and putting in protections for waterways and so forth. A lot of work is going on in the farming community, and there is a real desire to do more.”
“Recently, we supported the acquisition of a substantial tract of land in the Belfast Hills for the Woodland Trust. We now have further support going to the National Trust for it to acquire land. All of that land will become accessible to the public and be planted out and used in a way that supports biodiversity in the Belfast hills and creates access for the young people who live in the area and, indeed, people who visit the area.”
“We are doing a key piece of work on marine protected areas (MPAs). We are hoping to deliver that in 2024 in conjunction with the development of a blue-carbon policy. We can see the evident benefits of investing in and protecting our seas, which contain a third of our biodiversity, while at the same time ensuring that the people who live and work in those places can continue to enjoy that habitat and earn a living off it. We have been looking at the moorings for yachts in Strangford lough and how we can ensure that they do not cause damage to key parts of the seabed. Therefore, pieces of work are already taking place in Strangford lough.”
“<BR /> <BR />The competition on plastic in schools, which is delivered in partnership with Queen's University, the Department of Education and Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, gives pupils an opportunity to win monetary prizes for work on investigating the use and disposal of single-use plastics in their schools. <BR /> <BR />The rural pollinator scheme —”
“All schools here have been given resources on plastic in marine environments, and school workshops have been delivered to complete single-use plastic audits and action plans to help them reduce consumption. Additionally, 11 webinars were delivered, focusing on tackling single-use plastics, and 75 schools have signed the Plastic Promise, making a commitment to reduce single-use plastics at school and at home. In 2021-22, my Department provided funding to the Lyric Theatre to continue the delivery of a short performance piece on waste prevention and plastic pollution. That will be performed to an audience of over 3,000 Key Stage 2 pupils and will offer children solutions that they can easily understand and undertake.”
“The productive outdoor learning gardens programme is delivered in partnership with Danske Bank and has created an outdoor learning space in 11 schools, with spaces at a further 11 to be developed. Work is also under way to support the development of a new GCSE module on biodiversity recovery, and biodiversity was listed as one of the three key topics in nearly half of the most recent tranche of Green Flag applications, thus showing the importance that our young people place on biodiversity. <BR /> <BR />The tackling plastic project, in partnership with Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, aims to raise awareness of the problem of single-use plastics and to provide support to reduce consumption.”
“Our young people are the key to safeguarding our environment and tackling the biodiversity crisis. Acknowledging that, DAERA funds Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful to deliver the Eco-Schools programme in Northern Ireland. That highly successful endeavour makes environmental awareness and action an intrinsic part of the life and ethos of our schools, with a focus on practical, positive environmental behavioural change. <BR /> <BR />Since 2020, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful has progressed two programmes that focus on biodiversity in schools through the development of school garden projects. The productive biodiversity gardens programme, in partnership with Radius Housing, has involved 16 primary schools to date, and the upcoming stage will involve a further 23 primary schools.”
“The delivery of a veterinary college in Northern Ireland would demonstrate to everybody the sustainability of our agriculture industry and represent a significant step forward. I trust that other parties will be supportive of having a new veterinary college here.”
“We talked to the Minister of Finance before and during the Budget process. We have indicated very clearly the needs for the Budget process. When it comes to levelling up, we will ensure that our voice is heard on that particular issue. Indeed, some of our MPs have indicated that Northern Ireland has not done as well out of levelling up as Scotland and Wales have at this stage. We will therefore ensure that Northern Ireland's voice is heard and that the opportunities for the levelling up to take place are carried through. I would love to see some real signature projects happening in Northern Ireland on the back of that. One that needs to be delivered, for the rural and agri-food community, is a new veterinary college.”
“They are halls that have not received funding before but are part of the hub of their community and are essential to that community.”
“Yes. The rural halls refurbishment scheme thus far has been exceptionally successful. We have had a full roll-out of the first pilot for the successful applicants. We have been able to provide financial support and training and are now looking at the next stages of the scheme. We are bidding for funding to ensure that we can deliver for all the applicants, because they all merit support. As a result of that work, many parent-and-toddler groups, women's groups, older people's groups and youth organisations have better facilities in which to work. A wide range of people in the rural community have therefore benefited significantly from the scheme. We want to roll it out to all the halls that applied, because they are applying for things such as new electrics or fresh plastering to deal with damp.”
“Of course, that will be down to the Department of Finance; from the Budget proposals thus far, maybe not. The Member would be as well talking to the Finance Minister about getting a Budget that reflects the needs of the rural community; that reflects the need to tackle carbon neutrality issues; and that reflects the investment that is needed to ensure that we deliver for the environment so that we can head towards net zero. We need to have the funding from the Department of Finance to do all of that.”
“As those new programmes are designed to replace the rural development programme, I do not anticipate any adverse impact on rural communities from the absence of the EU rural development programme. On the contrary, the opportunity that we now have, through the rural policy framework, to address the needs of Northern Ireland’s rural communities provides us with the opportunity to enhance the support that we provide and target our investment to address the most pressing needs of rural communities.”
“To ensure that rural communities would continue to receive support, when the rural development programme (RDP) came to an end, officials in my Department began work on the rural policy framework for Northern Ireland. In addition, my Department has taken the opportunity to deliver a range of pilot schemes that will help to inform future funding programmes, while ensuring the continued delivery of programmes and funding to rural communities. The framework is nearing completion. <BR /> <BR />Work will soon begin on developing the new rural business and community investment programme. That new programme will replace the LEADER and rural tourism elements of the rural development programme.”
“The report was not commissioned by the Department, but the Department takes note of its findings. Interestingly, we talked to the Climate Change Committee, and the findings of the KPMG report coincided with its views. The KPMG report is credible and, therefore, we all need to take cognisance of it in our decision-making approach.”
“Yes. I welcome what the Member has just said about wanting to have streamlined access from GB to Northern Ireland. I actually want complete access, but streamlined access from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is a significant step forward from the rigorous implementation of the protocol. The SDLP has certainly moved well ahead of the Alliance Party, and I congratulate the Member on that.”
“Therefore, the consequences of the invasion for oil prices are very significant, which, again, feeds through to food prices. Fourthly, Ukraine is one of the richest countries for minerals, including titanium, uranium and other products. All of those things will have implications, and the consequences will be far-reaching. If anyone does not realise that, they will realise it in the months to come.”
“Nonetheless, we are in that circumstance, and people need to realise some of the realities. <BR /> <BR />First, across the world, the amount of food available for the number of people is quite balanced. Ukraine is a country with the capacity to feed 600 million people. If that capacity is taken away — if farmers in Ukraine cannot plough their land, put their crops in or sell their meat — we will have a problem. Secondly, Russia is one of the biggest suppliers of nitrogen fertiliser in the world. If farmers do not get nitrogen fertiliser to spread on their crops, their crops will deliver less yield, the consequence of which would be significant. Thirdly, Russia is the second-biggest supplier of oil and gas in the world.”
“It would be remiss of me not to express my solidarity with the people of Ukraine at this moment in time. It is an absolutely repellent situation that a sovereign nation has been invaded by another nation. The consequences of it are awful for the people in Ukraine, first and foremost, and many thousands of people will lose their lives. Quite frankly, the response from NATO countries has been poor in the first instance, and, had more been done to avert the situation, we may not be in that circumstance.”
“We will consider the report in full. We did not ask for a report to be carried out to then ignore it, so we will look at it in detail. I am quite sure that we will adopt most of what is in it. That is not to say that we will ever farm out our decision-making to somebody else and adopt everything, but, nonetheless, we will adopt substantial parts of the report.”
“The report, 'Independent Strategic Review of the Northern Ireland Agri-Food Sector', was published on 26 January. Sir Peter Kendall and his team undertook a considerable amount of work in a short time frame under the very challenging conditions that were presented by COVID-related restrictions. I welcome the report and believe that it contains much that the industry will support. The report was open to comments and feedback from stakeholders until 23 February. Given the report's many recommendations, it will take time to produce a detailed and considered response that takes into account the views of stakeholders.”
“That is an outrageous situation and an outrageous proposal.”
“Mr Poots, you have not done enough on the protocol. We want you to do more to make it difficult for people to buy goods”
“The fact is that it is easier to import a tree from Lithuania than from Lancashire. That might not be the case when Mr Putin is finished, but that is the reality, folks. We have a country that has had a barrier put within it. That has never been tried in any other country in the world. The fact that we have individuals in this country saying, "We want more of it”
“Absolutely. Thousands of checks and CHED documents have to be completed by businesses, and additional staff had to be recruited by businesses as a consequence of the protocol. The services that are provided by the TSS will be withdrawn, and, ultimately, that cost will be passed on. The European Union demands that we pass all the costs that the Government and this Department bear to businesses, and it even wants us to check people's cars and luggage. That is what the Alliance Party wants, and that is why the Alliance Party has shown itself up today in its demands for the rigorous implementation of the protocol.”
“However, there are opportunities for other businesses in Northern Ireland, not least for people who export engineering expertise to Australia, for example, with all the mining equipment that is produced, mainly in mid-Ulster. Therefore, there are advantages to those deals as well as disadvantages. <BR /> <BR />The disadvantages, if they come through, will take time to come through. At present, Australia sells a large amount of its beef in Southeast Asia, and, consequently, does not need the UK market, but that may not always be the case. I have highlighted and expressed my concerns about that. That having been said, when we left the European Union, our beef was about 20% lower in price than it currently is, so it is hard for the Member to claim that we have done badly out of it.”
“First of all, the Member makes an assumption that I did not receive advice from the current Attorney General and, indeed, from the Departmental Solicitor's Office and others. The Member will be well aware that that is purely an assumption and does not have any veracity. Nonetheless, we will leave that to one side. <BR /> <BR />On the New Zealand trade deal, of course I have demonstrated quite clearly my concerns about potential trade deals. There are trade deals that will bring us significant benefits and open the doors for Northern Ireland to export its high-quality food. Quite a number of trade deals have already taken place that will be to our benefit. The trade deals with Australia and New Zealand will always be challenging for us because they are large food-producing countries.”