2025 has “definitely been a year of unprecedented challenges” for farming in Northern Ireland, according to Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart.
Reflecting on the year, the DUP’s agriculture spokesperson said that it has not been all negative, and “although prices have started to decline, farmers welcomed strong farm-gate prices for milk, beef and livestock”.
However, she said: “The farming community has been the target of relentless and sustained pressure from government regulatory overreach and ill-fitting, flawed policies.
“Bureaucracy surrounding the Nutrients Action Programme, the pursuit of unrealistic net-zero and climate change targets, uncertainty over inheritance tax, and rising wages and national insurance, have all combined to undermine farm businesses and succession planning.
“Instead of supporting food producers and bolstering food security, Stormont and Westminster policies have added cost, confusion, and frustration.
“Farmers are known to be resilient, but many aren’t ashamed to admit they have been driven to the depths of despair in recent months.”
Challenges
Lockhart also said that along with bovine TB, farmers have “also had to endure a number of new disease incursions and biosecurity threats”.
“Bluetongue, avian influenza, and the growing threat posed by the invasive Asian hornet have placed further strain on farmers already operating under immense pressure,” she explained
She said that international trade deals “continue to undercut and threaten local markets”, but on a “more positive note, thanks to strong opposition led by European farmers, the Mercosur deal has been stalled, and will hopefully be shelved indefinitely in the coming weeks”.
She continued: “Farmers are deeply uneasy about an emerging anti-farming narrative that seeks to reduce livestock numbers, and prioritises lab-grown alternatives over sustainable, home-produced food which has been produced to the highest standard.
“Agriculture is a significant employer and the backbone of our economy.
“Our local agri-food sector is something to be proud of, producing food to feed 10 million people and contributing in excess of £6 billion to the economy.
“Farmers in Northern Ireland are not asking for special treatment – they want fairness, common sense and recognition for the vital role they play in food security, the rural economy and environmental stewardship.”
She said that in the new year, it is “essential that government, both locally and nationally, works with, not against, our farming community to ensure a viable and vibrant future”.
