A senior politician and civil servant met nature-friendly farmers for frank discussions about the future of farming in Northern Ireland. The NFFN is urging decision-makers to put nature at the heart of food production through ambitious support and schemes for farmers.
Northern Ireland’s Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir, and a senior DAERA civil servant visited Ballyboley Dexters, a pasture-fed beef farm on the Ards Peninsula in County Down, on Tuesday 20 August. They met with the owner of the farm, NFFN NI Steering Group Chair Stephen Alexander, to have candid discussions about the future of agriculture in the country.
Stephen gave the visitors a tour of the farm, showcasing the use of regenerative practices including rearing livestock with low-input systems, planting herbal leys and taking steps to ensure high water quality.
During the visit, discussions covered the scope and ambition of the new Farming with Nature Package, the fate of the Wider and Higher levels of the Environmental Farming Scheme (EFS), and the Northern Irish Government’s Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme.
Mr Muir also met the farmers on the NFFN NI steering group at one of their regular meetings on Wednesday 28 August.