The Ulster Farmers' Union have held their first NI Farm Family Day.
The event was launched this morning at Stormont Buildings in an event sponsored by Sinn Fein's Declan McAleer.
Farm Minister Andrew Muir was one of the speakers.
The event was attended by MLA's from all parties and the chairman of the various UFU committees.
The event was launched this morning at Stormont Buildings in an event sponsored by Sinn Fein's Declan McAleer.
Farm Minister Andrew Muir was one of the speakers.
The event was attended by MLA's from all parties and the chairman of the various UFU committees.
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00:00 Thank you very much, David. I want to say it's great to be here. I initially indicated
00:12 my intention to attend this before I became a minister. I must say I'm so really delighted
00:17 to be here as Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. And before I say a few
00:22 things, I want to say thank you to the Ulster Farmers Union for the kindness and support
00:27 they've been offering me over the last number of weeks, the fair daring and also the willingness
00:31 to work in partnership together. And I believe there's so much we can achieve together as
00:36 a department and the Ulster Farmers Union. I fully recognise that the family farm and
00:41 the farm family constitute the backbone of our industry here in Northern Ireland. In
00:46 the last few weeks, I've had the privilege to get out and about visiting James Brown's
00:51 dairy farm in Ballywalter last week and then the week before, Roy Little's farm in Newton
00:57 Ours, showcasing what's best about our horticulture sector here in Northern Ireland. In that context,
01:03 I strongly feel it's only right that we should today celebrate and recognise the huge contribution
01:09 farming families make to social fabric in rural areas, as well as the economic engine
01:14 for both the rural economy and Northern Ireland as a whole. Many of our rural communities
01:19 depend on family farms to maintain the economic and social viability of other rural businesses
01:26 and services, be that the local grocery shop, the local builder, the agricultural merchant
01:31 or the machinery dealer. Our farming families provide the lifeblood of our rural primary
01:37 and post-primary schools. Teachers will often describe the positive influence students from
01:42 farming and country backgrounds have in their schools. Education and training have always
01:48 been valued by farming families and this continues here today. My department will continue to
01:54 provide opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds within the industry to develop
01:59 themselves through further and higher education provision and bespoke training programmes.
02:06 Over the generations, farm families in the past have shown great resilience facing significant
02:12 challenges head on. The challenges faced ahead will be of similar enormity but will
02:19 be overcome. We also must remember that there's opportunities ahead. It is vitally important
02:25 that we try to preserve the legacy of those who have gone before us and we continue to
02:29 build upon the heritage of the family farm. Please be assured that as Minister, I will
02:35 play my role in relation to this. I commit to direct my department to bring forward an
02:41 innovative programme of work to help the industry navigate the road ahead. I'm particularly
02:46 keen on the farming for the generations pilot scheme in terms of addressing issues around
02:52 succession. I also intend to explore more ways to encourage more young people into the
02:58 industry. I'm already enjoying working with a range of stakeholders and determined to
03:04 forge a strong partnership approach and I genuinely mean that. As we chart our way forward
03:10 through critically important issues such as environmental protection, food security, animal
03:16 health and animal welfare to name but a few. And I would say we've got so much more in
03:22 common around these issues that we can achieve so much. The contribution from the family
03:26 farm has been central to the work we do together over the time ahead. To sum up, I warmly congratulate
03:33 and thank the Ulster Farmers Union in organising this fantastic event. Today celebrates the
03:39 foundation stone of our agri-food industry which is the family farm. It is an aspect
03:44 of our industry which should be rightly celebrated. Thank you David and everyone else from the
03:49 Ulster Farmers Union for the opportunity to come here and I look forward to catching up
03:53 with members this afternoon. Thank you.