The DUP’s agriculture spokesperson, Carla Lockhart has called for the Department of Agriculture, Enterprise and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to engage with industry over the Nutrients Action Plan (NAP).
Speaking at the NAP information event at the Greenmount Campus, Co. Antrim this week (May 2025), the MP said the Minister for Agriculture, Enterprise and Rural affairs, Andrew Muir is “not willing to face farmers or listen to their concerns”.
She said: “These proposals will decimate the very cornerstone of our economy. The gross output from NI agriculture is worth £2.87 billion (€3.4 billion), but the minister is on course to destroy it.
“Potentially, NAP will have a bigger impact on family farms than inheritance tax. The minister risks leaving a trail of destruction as a lasting legacy of his term at the helm of DAERA.”
“The message is clear, the proposals are unacceptable and unachievable. Tensions are running high, farmers are being pushed to the brink, and the meeting is a nail in the coffin for the NAP proposals,” Lockhart added.
MP Carla Lockhart
The DUP MP said she supports farmers, and that she will continue to speak out against the NAP proposals.
“Farmers work 365 days a year to put fully traceable and nutritious food on our tables, yet they have been crippled by bureaucracy and used as scapegoats for far too long. Enough is enough,” Lockhart said.
“The livelihoods of over 3,500 farm businesses are at stake, especially those in the dairy, pig and poultry sectors,” she claimed.
According to the MP, civil servants should go out and visit farms to “witness” the daily struggles faced by the farming community.
She explained: “Farmers are custodians of the land and vital for thriving rural communities. They are not shying away from their environmental responsibilities. The general consensus is that NAP is disproportionate and severely out of touch with reality
“I stand united with farmers and the wider agri-food supply chain as they call for a stop to the NAP consultation. It’s time to refocus and go back to the drawing board.”
“The figures are questionable and we’ve heard very little in the way of credible answers today. DAERA needs to stop flying solo and learn to engage with stakeholders and farmers who are the experts on the ground,” she added.
