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Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) Minister Andrew Muir was accused of “demonising” the agriculture sector during a debate in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Last week the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) passed the vote of no confidence in how Daera is handling key issues. The union said this included an “unjustified focus on agriculture” regarding pollution in Lough Neagh. Mr Muir told MLAs he was disappointed in the vote when he answered an urgent oral question on Monday on what steps he would take to restore confidence in his department’s leadership. He said: “Good leadership is not defined by running away from challenges, but rather it is defined by identifying and facing up to them. “Here in Northern Ireland we face some very significant challenges, partly as a result of decisions taken by those who came before me. “I actually fully agree with the Ulster Farmers’ Union that previous policies in relation to TB have failed Northern Ireland. “So too have our past approaches to addressing biodiversity and delivering high standards of water quality and air quality that citizens rightly expect.” The minister said he had scheduled a meeting with UFU officials on Tuesday. TUV MLA Timothy Gaston said the UFU vote was a “damning indictment on the department and its minister”. He added: “During Mr Muir’s time in office he has delivered a flawed nutrient actions programme consultation, delivered inadequate progress on bovine TB, allowed continued delays in planning decisions, overseen a data breach at AFBI (Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute) and overseen generational renewal schemes that simply aren’t working. “Time and time again Mr Muir prioritises the environment over agriculture. “When will you hold up your hands and resign along with the caretaker minister and your party leader (Naomi Long) in the Justice Department?” Mr Muir responded: “Naomi Long is a colleague, she is a friend and she is the Justice Minister. Both Naomi and I work hard for all the citizens of Northern Ireland. “If you think that I am going somewhere, Mr Gaston, you’ve got another think coming. “I’ve got a job of work to do and I do it across the whole remit of the department. “If you are talking about your party and what you delivered for farmers, you delivered one of the biggest impacts in a negative fashion to farming in Northern Ireland, which was Brexit. “Brexit has destroyed the UK economy, it was one of the biggest betrayals of the people of Northern Ireland and you should own up and take responsibility for that.” DUP deputy leader Michelle McIlveen said the minister had to “quit demonising the agriculture sector”. She added: “The UFU’s unprecedented vote is a damning indictment of the department, but more so on the minister and the Alliance Party who have set the current policy direction for that department. “At the heart of this is the aspirational and unachievable interim climate change targets set by this Assembly last year.” Mr Muir said: “What I find strange about some of the questions from the DUP around this is a lot of the policy I am delivering is policy from my predecessor. “The climate change legislation which was passed by a DUP Daera minister, farming policy which was initiated by a DUP Daera minister. “I am delivering upon pledges previously made. “Climate change is one of the biggest threats to farming in Northern Ireland and I am committed to supporting farmers on the journey on the road ahead.”
