Muir recognises financial pressure on local farming families

I have a clear vision for our transition to sustainable farming by implementing policies that benefit our climate and environment, while very importantly, supporting our economically and socially significant agri-food sector.

Our new programme of support, co-designed with local agri-food and environmental stakeholders, includes a range of schemes that will provide opportunities for all farm businesses in Northern Ireland - including those in Fermanagh - to maximise the sustainable returns they can achieve from their farm enterprise.

Financial sustainability is critically important to farm businesses and I was pleased to announce that Direct Payments commenced on September 2, with £29,920,332 issuing to 2,781 farm businesses in Fermanagh.

To enhance the financial ‘safety net’ needed to help farm businesses withstand unexpected shocks and impacts, a new Farm Sustainability Transition Payment will operate in 2025.

I am also pleased that £5.2million was awarded from my Department’s Farm Business Improvement Scheme to 562 farmers in Fermanagh to enhance the productivity and environmental performance of their enterprises.

Since becoming Minister, I have come to understand the challenges and significant stress a TB breakdown can impose on farm families.

I am glad to see the high rate of herd incidence in the area covered by the Enniskillen DAERA Direct office has been falling.

Herd incidence for the 12 months to the end of June, 2024 stands at 10.95 per cent, compared with 14.64 per cent for the same period last year.

However, while this picture is improving, disease levels - especially animal incidence - remain much too high, and Enniskillen is still one of our worst affected areas.

DAERA and farmers continue to use all the tools at their disposal to reduce bTB levels; however, I am conscious that more tools are needed.

My Chief Veterinary Officer is currently reviewing all aspects of our TB programme and policy.

I look forward to considering his findings in detail in the coming weeks.

Our changing climate and weather patterns has created additional pressures for farmers, and during my recent visit to Fermanagh, I discussed the impact of the prolonged period of wet weather with councillors and a local farmer.

My officials are closely monitoring the situation. In the meantime, farmers can avail of specific advice by contacting their local CAFRE advisor.

I also want to recognise the rural communities that knit together the social fabric of Fermanagh.

I am delighted that through my Department’s Rural Micro Capital Grant Scheme, delivered by the Rural Support Network, 101 voluntary and community groups in County Fermanagh were recently awarded grant aid, totalling £164,904.

This will help to enhance their facilities and the services they provide for local people.

We are also supporting good physical and mental health through the Farm Families Health Checks Programme.

This service has visited nine livestock markets and community events in Fermanagh this year, to date, and a further ten visits are planned in the coming months.

On the theme of good mental health, Rural Support (at www.ruralsupport.org.uk), a local organisation funded through my Department’s Tackling Rural Policy and Social Isolation Framework (TRPSI), is available to help farmers and their families with a wide range of issues related to the farm business and personal wellbeing.

Finally, I want to acknowledge the importance of impartial reporting and journalism.

Newspapers remain a key source of information for farming and rural communities, and I welcome ‘The Farmer’s Voice’ as a sector-specific supplement for readers in Fermanagh.