I have received notice from the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs that he wishes to make a statement. Before I call the Minister, I remind Members that they should keep their questions concise.

(Mr Deputy Speaker [Dr Aiken] in the Chair)

Minister.

With your permission, Mr Deputy Speaker, I wish to make a statement in compliance with section 52 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 regarding the twenty-eighth North/South Ministerial Council (NSMC) agriculture meeting, which was held in the NSMC joint secretariat offices, Armagh, on Wednesday 29 May 2024.

Junior Minister Aisling Reilly MLA, junior Minister Pam Cameron MLA and I represented the Northern Ireland Executive at the meeting. The Irish Government were represented by Charlie McConalogue TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and Heather Humphreys TD, Minister for Rural and Community Development. Minister McConalogue chaired the meeting. The statement has been agreed with junior Minister Reilly and junior Minister Cameron, and I make it on behalf of us all.

It was a positive meeting, and a lot of progress was made. I will take each paper in the order in which it was discussed.

On the review of the work programme, the NSMC noted that officials from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD) had concluded a review of the work programme for the NSMC agriculture sector and agreed a revised programme for the sector.

On cooperation on animal health, the Council noted the continuing work and progress achieved on the delivery of the ‘All-Island Animal Health and Welfare Strategy Action Plan’ since the last NSMC agriculture meeting in November 2020. Ministers welcomed the establishment in 2023 of the all-island surveillance forum. The NSMC acknowledged the ongoing efforts by officials from both jurisdictions to seek ways to maximise existing cooperation on animal health and welfare, including the joint DAERA/DAFM exercise on contingency planning for swine fever, which was planned for June 2024. Ministers looked forward to the continuation of practical and effective cooperation on animal health and welfare and disease control in both jurisdictions in order that the health and welfare of livestock is maintained at the highest level.

On cooperation on plant health and pesticides, Ministers welcomed the ongoing commitment of DAFM and DAERA to the shared objective of achieving and maintaining good plant health status on the island.

The Council noted the ongoing collaboration and sharing of expertise in training; scientific research; diagnostic capability; risk anticipation; risk management, including contingency planning; and risk communication in plant health. The Council welcomed the intention to conduct a joint DAFM/DAERA simulation exercise in 2024 to test plant health contingency plans. Ministers welcomed the continued sharing of expertise and training between DAFM and the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) — there are lots of acronyms in the statement — as the result of DAFM's acting as a national reference laboratory for DAERA and AFBI. Ministers noted the continuing cooperation in the regulation of placing on the market and using pesticides.

The NSMC welcomed the continuing cooperation between both Administrations on farm safety and the ongoing work to improve it. The Council also welcomed the first joint meeting of the farm safety partnerships from both jurisdictions, which took place in February this year.

With regard to cooperation on rural development, the Council welcomed the establishment of the North/South rural policy forum, which provides a mechanism to share information and best practice and to identify opportunities for joint working on issues that impact on rural areas and rural communities. Ministers noted the cooperation between the two jurisdictions on rural development, as well as the strong commitment of both Administrations to share information and best practice on rural development and to enhance cooperation on it.

Ministers acknowledged the good collaboration between DAERA and DAFM in maximising the drawdown of EU funding under Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe. The Council welcomed the €106·6 million in funding secured by successful applications from both Administrations for projects in the agriculture, forestry, food, marine and bioeconomy sectors under Horizon 2020, as well as the €4·5 million secured to date under Horizon Europe.

Ministers noted the progress made in joint funding bids from both jurisdictions under the DAFM national competitive calls, including €10·8 million by DAFM and £3·8 million by DAERA for 12 projects since 2021. The Council noted that seven projects involving total funding of €7·6 million have been funded over the eight years of the US-Ireland R&D Partnership in agriculture. Ministers welcomed the announcement of a €9 million funding initiative to support the development of the all-island bioeconomy in the agriculture and marine sectors, with co-funding from the Government of Ireland's Shared Island initiative, DAFM and DAERA. The NSMC welcomed the ongoing consideration by DAFM and DAERA of further possibilities for research collaboration under existing or new measures.

There was also a presentation on water quality from an agriculture perspective. Ministers noted the presentation on water quality and the way in which science and innovation are being harnessed to improve water quality from an agricultural perspective.

The Council welcomed the ongoing cooperation between both Administrations on addressing climate change and the loss of biodiversity in the agriculture sector. Ministers agreed that officials from DAFM and DAERA will explore the potential for increasing North/South cooperation on those issues.

The Council agreed to hold its next agriculture meeting in autumn 2024. I welcome the re-establishment of formal NSMC meetings and look forward to working with my counterparts in the South in all areas of cooperation in the agriculture sector. I commend the statement to the Assembly and welcome any questions.

Thank you, Minister, for the statement. A lot of areas were covered, and I seek a bit more detail on some of them.

You mentioned cooperation on rural development and on sharing information and best practice. Will there be some mechanism for providing us with more detail on those, aside from today's statement, of course? What are the actualities when it comes to cooperation between both jurisdictions on those matters of mutual interest and concern?

Secondly, you stated that Ministers noted a presentation on water quality and the science and innovation that are being harnessed. Does that include blue-green algae? I know that parts of the rest of the island suffer from that plague in our waterways, although maybe not to the same extent as we do in Lough Neagh. Is there any complementarity in research or scientific work that could be undertaken on an all-island basis?

I thank the Member for his question. Rural development was discussed at the NSMC, and I also discussed it with one of the junior Ministers on St Patrick's Day in Brussels. There is a real opportunity to take learnings from what the South has done and use those to help shape rural affairs policy in the North. I will want engage with the Committee and relevant stakeholders as we set out our road map on rural development policy. There is lots to learn. We need to develop a policy. I have heard the Committee's concerns about the need to shape rural development policy in Northern Ireland. I want to engage with the Committee and stakeholders on that. It is critical that we do it in a process of co-design.

In Armagh yesterday, we talked about blue-green algae in the environment and the aquaculture and marine sectoral meetings. There is a real desire from the South to work with us on this, taking account of the fact that the catchment area of Lough Neagh incorporates parts of the South. Hopefully, the Executive can agree the Lough Neagh report and action plan, which provides a template for lots more North/South cooperation on this issue, particularly around science and research.

I thank the Minister for his statement. The statement refers to cooperation on animal health issues across the island. We have a serious issue with bovine TB. We have a rate of 10% in the North, compared with a rate of 5% in the South, and it costs your Department £53 million. Was there any discussion on cooperation on testing and preventative regimes, particularly in border areas?

I thank the Member for his important question. Not a day goes past when the issue of TB is not raised with me. The level of infection in our herds is not sustainable for my Department nor for farmers in Northern Ireland, so we need to take action on it. I am meeting the Chief Veterinary Officer this afternoon on possible actions. Hopefully, we will outline those over the summer. At the Committee last week, I said that I am happy to appear before the Committee over the summer to talk through those. There are opportunities for North/South cooperation, because we have mutual challenges. I am looking forward to engaging with the South on what they have done, and how we can work together to address this issue. This is critical for me. I realise the importance of acting, and I will not be found wanting.

I thank the Minister for his statement. To add to the Deputy Chair's question, TB is a serious issue. Was it discussed at the meeting yesterday, or was it not? It is important to learn lessons from the situation in the Irish Republic, where levels of TB are much lower than ours.

I thank the Member for his question. The issue of TB featured in the papers for the North/South Ministerial Council that we are talking about. There is a need to do a lot more work, North/South and east-west, because there are also learnings to take from GB. I get the concerns. The difference between now and January of this year is that there are now Ministers in post. I have been working with officials. I tasked my Chief Veterinary Officer on the first day that he started the job to look at the issue afresh. Over the summer, we will bring forward proposals for action. That will involve taking learnings, North/South and east-west. That will be a key feature, and I am keen to do it.

I will continue on a theme already established and ask the Minister whether he has any plans to increase dedicated cross-border working on animal welfare such as that done previously, as mentioned in the statement, on the African swine fever contingency plan.

I thank the Member for his question. Animal health and welfare, as outlined in the statement, was discussed at the meeting. It is a key area of cooperation, North/South, but a lot more can be done. DAFM in the South is looking at a ban on the importing of dogs with cropped ears and a prohibition on shock collars. I am keen to explore similar measures in Northern Ireland, resources and time permitting. There needs to be North/South cooperation on animal welfare. I am meeting the Chief Veterinary Officer this afternoon about not just TB but animal welfare.

It is important that, on the road ahead, I am able to outline my vision for how we improve protections against animal cruelty in Northern Ireland. I am very clear that that should be a process of co-design. There are a number of areas where we need to take action. I want to engage with stakeholders to get their views on these issues. I also want to engage with my counterpart in the South to see what they are doing and how we can work together. That engagement will have lots of mutual benefit in planning the road ahead.

I am aware of the calls for an all-Ireland register of animal welfare offenders. I hope to pick that up with my counterpart down South. I am prepared to look at the evidence base on that and, most importantly, engage with stakeholders to see how we can look at the issue alongside everything else. I am not ruling anything out. I will engage with stakeholders, the Chief Veterinary Officer and officials to scope out how we can have the best and highest protections against animal cruelty in Northern Ireland.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire.

[Translation: I thank the Minister.]

On addressing climate change and loss of biodiversity, it seems sensible to have a joined-up approach to biodiversity loss on our island. What scope is there for a truly integrated approach to the issue through the development of something like an all-Ireland biodiversity strategy?

I thank the Member for her question. There is a lot of merit in that. From the discussions that we had yesterday on climate change, the challenges in the North are similar to those in the South. I am quite keen to explore that because, North/South and east-west, we will be much stronger if we work together on this, particularly in investment in science and research.

I thank the Minister. In developing a new rural affairs policy, will the opportunity for cross-border cooperation be considered?

I thank the Member for his question, and the answer is yes. We had discussions on that on St Patrick's Day, and, obviously, as part of the discussions that occurred as part of the NSMC meeting. There is lots of stuff happening in the South that we want to take learning from, but we also want to have a rural development policy that reflects the real issues and challenges of today, particularly the place of women in rural communities and childcare, because those are the issues that are facing society today. I want to do that in a process of co-design, but I will engage with my colleagues, North/South and east-west, to see how best we can have a policy that meets the needs of people in rural areas of Northern Ireland.

Thank you, Minister, for your statement. Did Lough Neagh come up? If so, what discussion took place and what actions came out of it?

I thank the Member for her question. Lough Neagh was discussed as part of the meeting, but it was also discussed yesterday as part of our sectoral meetings on the environment, aquaculture and the marine. There is a wide range of opportunities for cooperation, North/South, which will be predicated on the Lough Neagh report and action plan, which, hopefully, will be agreed by the Executive soon. It is imperative that we agree that report and take action. I was updated by officials this morning that, this year, there have been 33 reports of blue-green algae in Northern Ireland at 19 sites, so it is absolutely critical that we take action on that. At the meeting, there was a presentation on water quality and how the North/South issues have been faced. I want to move forward on these issues and take the learning from the South but also explore opportunities for cooperation.

Dealing with the issues associated with Lough Neagh is based on four pillars: education; investment and incentivisation; regulation; and enforcement. There are many areas within those pillars where there is real potential for cross-border cooperation. For example, setting up a science platform and taking the North/South learnings on training and engagement with our farmers. Our farmers are part of the solution here, and lots of stuff has been done down South that we want to take learning from. On catchment areas and one-to-one engagement with farmers, we are doing that in the North and in the South, and we need to take the learning and see how we can do that much better and roll it out further in Northern Ireland.

On incentivisation, we are doing stuff in the North that we can share with the South, such as better management of slurry as part of the small business research initiative (SBRI) and increasing tree planting. On regulation, there are areas such as the nutrients action programme and the third river basin management plan that we are looking at, North and South. Down South, they have set up a fertiliser database, which is something that we want to consider in the North. On enforcement, there are lessons to be learned, North and South, on how we can do that better. Let us be clear: there are opportunities for action, and there is clear plan ahead through the Lough Neagh report and action plan. I want us to get cracking and be able to give people in Northern Ireland hope that we are turning the situation around, working in partnership in the Assembly and Executive, North/South and east-west.

I thank the Minister for his statement. With regard to the all-island animal health and welfare strategy, was access to veterinary medicines discussed, given that the end of the grace period is coming and the potential implications for animal health and welfare and, by extension, for farmers from the costs associated with those changes?

I thank the Member for his question. That was not discussed specifically at the meeting, but I am aware of the concerns about it. I will meet another stakeholder group about that matter today. Further to the debate that we had in the Assembly a few weeks ago, I am working with officials on the correspondence that I promised to send to the UK Government on that. That correspondence will be focused on proposed solutions, because solutions are what we need to focus on when it comes to EU exit. It is about being pragmatic and constructive in this place and bringing forward ways in which the UK Government and the EU can bring solutions to aid the resolution of that issue. That is what I intend to set out in the weeks ahead.

Thank you, Minister, for your statement. Can you provide an update on the sustainable production of biomethane?

I thank the Member for his question. I am quite excited about that. It is quite good. I do not think that I would have been so excited about it a number of months ago. It is an opportunity for Northern Ireland to showcase itself. We do ourselves down too much here. We have a problem with slurry here in Northern Ireland, but we have solutions. For that issue, we have the small business research initiative. In phase 1, six local companies developed proposals for that, and we are moving into phase 2. Essentially, rather than looking at something as a problem, the initiative looks at it as an opportunity and a resource. That fits in well with the Lough Neagh report and action plan. We are doing a number of things in Northern Ireland that we need to shout about. As well as that initiative, there is the soil nutrient health scheme and future farm support. There is a positive future ahead for us. I am keen to sell that to people once we launch phase 2 of the initiative, because it allows us to bring solutions to environmental problems and challenges for the farming community.

Some Members indicated that they wanted to come in, but they were not here when the Minister started making his statement, so, regrettably, they will not be called this time. I appreciate that we are running slightly ahead of time.

That concludes questions on the statement. Members may take their ease while we get ready for the next item of business, which will be a motion on the legislative programme.

(Mr Speaker in the Chair)