Clogher Valley Show rounded off another successful summer agricultural show season this week with fantastic crowds and atmosphere to match. There was something for everyone, with a vast array of exhibitors, including many member businesses from the Northern Ireland Grain Trade Association (NIGTA) and the show provided a great opportunity to catch up with customers and colleagues from across the industry.
Whilst the mood was generally upbeat, on the back of favourable weather conditions and commodity markets, the hot topic was the deep concern surrounding the Nutrients Action Programme (NAP) 2026-2029 consultation which has just closed.
NIGTA has responded to the consultation and expressed disappointment at the lack of engagement prior to the consultation and absence of any co-design with stakeholders. The numerous inconsistencies within the documentation provided and piecemeal fashion in which additional supporting documents were uploaded without warning, made it particularly difficult to provide a properly informed response.
Over the past number of months, NIGTA has been working closely with agri-food partners to highlight these deficiencies and to assess the impact of the proposals. The interim economic impact assessment, commissioned by this industry grouping, has revealed that the farm Phosphorus (P) balance and 3 metre arable buffer strip proposals alone could cost Northern Ireland agriculture up to £1.6 billion. This figure does not take into account the additional impacts across the supply chain and beyond. It is therefore unbelievable that no thought was given by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to undertaking any economic impact assessment.
In terms of sectoral impacts, NIGTA held a joint meeting with the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) outlining the findings from Dr Violet Wylie on the impact of the proposals for the pig sector. It was estimated that there could be a 70%-80% reduction in the pig herd resulting from the aforementioned farm P balance proposals, which would close one pig processing facility in NI and leave the other at 50%, inevitably closing it as well. NI pigs make up 16% of total pig production in the United Kingdom, and as the UK is only 40% self-sufficient in pork, it calls into question the importance of food security.
NIGTA members have already demonstrated significant commitment and progress through the reduction in the P level of compound feed, as verified by the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI). The average P content of concentrates across all species is now 0.43%, whilst there has been a 25% reduction in P levels in the dairy sector. This has primarily been driven by a conscious effort by the feed industry to reduce dietary P levels and a trend towards rations with lower P values due to a shift in the availability of imported raw materials. However, sourcing availability can be impacted by various factors such as geopolitical unrest, trade barriers, weather events and policies like the European Deforestation Regulations.
In addition, NIGTA has developed training around reducing nutrient losses on farm through the Feed Adviser Register (FAR), which has been co-delivered by NIGTA and the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE). A new national FAR module on “Improving Farm Nutrient Balance” has also been recently released. NIGTA is committed to delivering further training and supporting the development needs of its members and the wider agri-food sector as required.
The Agriculture Minister has announced that a stakeholder group will be set up to review the consultation responses with a view to a further consultation. Whilst the details of this stakeholder group and how it will operate remain unknown, it is hoped that valuable lessons will be learned from the current exercise to ensure that future proposals, and the impact thereof, are carefully considered and genuinely workable at farm level.
The crucial factor in all of this will be time. Time must be given to properly reviewing the thousands of responses received. Time is needed to discuss and agree a way forward. It will take time to gather the appropriate science and ensure the relevant impact assessments are undertaken, particularly around the economics. And most importantly, realistic timescales are needed to enable the agri-industry to develop, invest in, and implement the necessary solutions, alongside removal of other policy barriers such as the blockade on planning permission. As such, it is absolutely vital that the next stage of the process is not rushed.
Poor water quality is not any of our interests. NIGTA is committed to helping improve water quality in a way which delivers both environmental improvement and a viable agricultural industry in NI.
