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06 Sept 2025

McGlone welcomes recognition of need to support farmers and rural communities

SDLP AERA Spokesperson Patsy McGlone has welcomed recognition of the need to support farmers and rural communities

Patsy McGlone 

Patsy McGlone

Reporter:

Staff Reporter

08 Oct 2024 3:33 PM

Email:

news@derrynow.com

SDLP AERA Spokesperson Patsy McGlone has welcomed recognition of the need to support farmers and rural communities in the North.
He was speaking after an Assembly motion on the Farmers’ Basic Payment Scheme on Monday.
An SDLP amendment lighting the importance of funding for rural development was passed.
Mid Ulster MLA Mr McGlone said:
“The British Government’s failure to commit to maintaining funding for agriculture has left many in the sector facing an uncertain future. Brexit also robbed us of nearly £100m in pillar two funding which provided critical funding to support projects which enhanced rural development and environmental sustainability. These groups make a huge contribution to life in rural areas and they cannot be abandoned in this way.
“The agri-food sector is hugely important to the North’s economy, rural communities and the environment, supporting thousands of jobs and generating nearly £3bn in 2023. That would not be possible without the litany of farms across the North who support this sector. For years the growth in agri-food was made possible by significant EU funding that was consistent and allowed farmers to plan for the future.
“Since Brexit this funding has not continued at the same level, with no account for the inflationary pressures facing many farmers in recent years as the cost of everything has skyrocketed. This has resulted in a real-terms funding cut around £60m this year and without action the situation will only get worse in the years ahead.
“We support the call of several environmental and farming organisations for funding to be inflation-proofed and guaranteed for at least the next decade to give this sector the certainty it needs and deliver on a range of priorities. There must also be support for rural development groups and acknowledgement of the many challenges people in rural areas are facing. The onus is on the DAERA Minister, the First and deputy First Minister and the entire Executive to recognise these challenges and make the case to the British government for the funding needed to provide these businesses and this sector with the support they need.”

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