Edwin Poots reveals framework for future of NI agriculture

Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots has unveiled his framework for Northern Ireland's future agricultural policy.

The document outlines proposals for how farming will be funded in the future.

It is the biggest change to Northern Ireland farming policy in 50 years.

The framework has four main targets: increasing the productivity of farms, ensuring environmental sustainability, improving economic resilience and having a responsive supply chain.

Mr Poots said the framework was about ensuring the future of Northern Ireland farms.

"It has to be futuristic in terms of how we develop the agri-food policy going forward," he said.

"If we do what we've done in the past we won't be able to meet the challenges from climate change and match that with profitability on farms."

Farmers in Northern Ireland receive almost £300m in farm payments from Europe every year.

But those payments are due to stop as a result of Brexit.

In England and Wales farmers have been told that direct financial support will end in seven years time.

The Northern Ireland framework document does not set an end date for farm support payments, with the minister saying he would like them to continue indefinitely.

"Farmers are doing more environmental work, capturing carbon and doing our piece to ensure we meet that global challenge," Mr Poots said.

"So I believe support is all the more necessary to meet those twin objectives of having safe, secure food produced in our own country and also having low carbon emissions which are better than other places in the world."

Ensuring environmental sustainability of farms is one of the main focuses of the proposals.

With two climate change bills currently going through the Stormont assembly, farmers have been worried about being asked to cut livestock levels.

But with another focus being on increasing farm productivity, Mr Poots said he did not want to see any cut to livestock numbers.

"I'm totally opposed to any notion that we reduce our livestock numbers," he said.

"I think it is entirely sustainable for us to maintain, and indeed increase livestock numbers and have a lower environmental footprint. That is the challenge we have to face.

"There are a whole lot of things we can do with science and technology - and if one looks back over the past 50 years and then to the next 50 years, farming will be unrecognisable."

The Department of Agriculture plans to run a consultation on the proposals later in the year with the policy changes due to come in in 2022.