Ms McIlveen said:
“While the DUP supports measures that strike a fair balance between environmental responsibility and economic sustainability, what is being proposed by Minister Muir lacks both clarity and a grounding in realism.
The estimated cost of the plan is over £1 billion between now and 2027 – an extraordinary financial burden on both the public purse and industry. More concerning still is DAERA’s suggestion that the plan will be ‘financially neutral’ – a claim made with little supporting evidence or breakdown of anticipated savings.
As we have come to expect from Minister Muir, agriculture is treated as an afterthought. The capital cost of the measures impacting sector is estimated to be £70m, with no clear indication of who will bear the cost of the proposed changes. Farmers should be in no doubt that this is livestock reduction by stealth. The proposals include reducing the age at first calving, shortening calving intervals, increasing the proportion of beef cattle finished as young bulls, and reducing emissions through alternative fertilisers, methane-suppressing feed, and phosphorus-lite diets. These measures will be of serious concern to farmers – particularly as many go beyond the existing beef sustainability package.
While some measures are currently described as ‘voluntary’, there are no guarantees that this won’t change under future carbon budgets. Based on DAERA’s own projections, the draft plan would result in a reduction of 81,000 beef cattle (primarily for slaughter) and 25,000 dairy cattle (mainly replacements) by 2027. Coupled with the ongoing concerns surrounding the potential need for more land to de-intensify farming, this Climate Action Plan will do little to reassure our industry. Minister Muir appears to have learned nothing from the Nutrients Action Programme debacle. Our agri-food sector is not merely part of the economy – it is the backbone of rural Northern Ireland. Any climate strategy must be environmentally credible, economically viable, and protect the future of family farms. This draft plan, sadly, meets none of those tests. It risks undermining a key industry with uncosted, untested, and in some cases, unworkable proposals.
DAERA’s focus should be on sustainable food production, a fair transition, and evidence-led policymaking – not a rushed consultation driven by fear of legal challenge and a green agenda that overrides all other considerations. I would urge the agri-food industry to make their voices heard in this consultation and hope the Minister will take notice.”