Heated exchanges and stern questions as farmers take to the floor

Some farmers hit out at claims of inaction from the Minister of Agriculture, Andrew Muir, while others lambasted the supposed mistakes of the Labour government.

One farmer even called for French-style protests, which would see roads blocked by tractors and milk being poured down drains.

Whatever the angle, one thing was clear: farmers were united in their concerns about how changes to inheritance tax will impact their futures.

Local contractor, Barry Read, accused the Department of Agriculture and Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) of "not supporting farmers" amid these challenges.

"Inheritance tax is a longer-term problem for most of us, but in the short term we have TB problems, planning, ammonia, and farm support no longer being ringfenced. All of these things are critical.

"Andrew Muir and the Farmers' Union [UFU] both need to start working for the people. The 'Union' part of the name suggests everyone together.

"At the minute you have the hierarchy, and all the people on the ground doing it. We aren't being supported."

Former UFU president, David Brown, immediately hit back.

"Barry, I want to come right back to you with this thought: are you a member of the Ulster Farmers' Union?"

"Yes", said Mr. Read. 

In response, Mr. Brown said: "It's your union! It's your union, and honest to goodness, when you stand up and make crap conversation about stuff on social media, you are undermining yourself!"

Mr. Read said: "I rang head office on Friday. I asked, 'What is your plan?' They said they are going to discuss it this Wednesday."

Mr. Brown replied: "Did you read the Farming Life on a Wednesday? The plans are there."

The local contractor also hit out at Andrew Muir, who he feels has "no understanding of agriculture".

"You are after saying that the Chancellor has no understanding of agriculture," he said, addressing Councillor Eddie Roofe, Alliance Party.

"To be honest, your representative [Andrew Muir] is supposed to be our Agriculture Minister, yet he was like a rat up a drainpipe out of the Eikon Centre at a protest last week.

"He is an embarrassment and a disgrace to the whole farming sector in Northern Ireland."

However, in response, Councillor Roofe insisted that Minister Muir is doing "everything in his power" to fight the changes.

He said: "It's a frustrating time for farmers. I will be speaking to [Andrew Muir] later this week and I will make your point clear. I will have no qualms in saying that to him."

John Stewart said that farmers must become more outspoken in their opposition to the new tax regime.

"This is a very cosy meeting where we are all talking about different things about what's being done," he said.

"If this was in France, we wouldn't have this nice, cosy meeting saying, 'What can we do?'

"We would be saying, 'No one is going to take my land under these circumstances', rather than begging them and asking, 'Can you change this or that?'.

"Every man here should say, this is not going to happen. It wouldn't happen in France, and it shouldn't happen here either."

He added: "No matter what it takes, the average farmer cannot face this. No matter what he has to do, he has to stop farming, throw milk down the drain, block the town - that is the only thing they are going to understand.

"Unless we do it here, change isn't going to happen."

Sean McCauley, from the pressure group, Farmers for Action (FFA), said farmers will "become militant" over the situation they are facing.

"I have never seen farmers as united and cross about the situation they find themselves in," he said.

"This is only the tip of the iceberg, because farmers aren't being properly paid for the quality produce they are producing.

"As has rightly been said, the Minister is out of his depth. He's listening to us, but that's about it.

"We need a strong minister; we don't have that, unfortunately.

"We aren't militant, but we are going to become militant. My father often told me that you'll never get anywhere unless people are hungry. Farmers are not going to cow down."

Augher farmer, David Mulligan, hit out at threats to farm support payments, which are no longer 'ringfenced' with the Stormont budget.

"Andrew Muir said he is going to argue for £330million of ringfenced funding; who is he arguing with?" asked the part-time farmer.

"Every single party stood shoulder to shoulder to back this, and a week later, why has the funding not yet been ringfenced?

"This is only standing still, we don't need to stand still. The Department can make inflationary increases to employees - why can't we get inflationary increases for farmers?

"That money needs to be backdated and ringfenced now to show support for our farmers!"