‘Resilience’ the theme for UFU Farm Family Day 2026

The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has hosted its now traditional Northern Ireland Farm Family Day at Stormont.

The event, which profiles the economic and social role played by the various farming sectors, was sponsored by Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee (AERA) member Aoife Finnegan MLA with the support of AERA Committee chair Robbie Butler MLA.

Significantly, the celebration of farming and food took place against the backdrop of spiralling energy prices and other farm input costs.

The overarching theme for the event focussed on the need to enhance resilience within agriculture.

Courtesy of his speech at the event, UFU president William Irvine highlighted the key role played by farming and food across the economy of Northern Ireland as a whole.

He said: “All of this is made possible by the hard work and commitment of the many thousands of farming families, who are at the very heart of agriculture in Northern Ireland.

“And we want to build on this for the future.”

Aoife Finnegan agreed, adding that it is particularly important for farmers in Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) to be fully supported.

She explained: “The private members’ bill, introduced by AERA Committee vice chairman, Declan McAleer, which is now making its way through the procedural stages at Stormont is very relevant in this regard.”

Robbie Butler extolled the virtues of the food produced in Northern Ireland while also confirming the key the role that farm families play in making all of this happen.

He said: “In terms of how we source our food, the role of farmers in Northern Ireland is set to become more important.

“Local agriculture is best in class.”

But perhaps the most striking imagery coming from the event was the attendance of so many children from farming families from across Northern Ireland – making the point, in a very graphic way, that young people have a key role to play at the very heart of agriculture in the region.

Inheritance tax

Irvine also used his presentation to the Northern Ireland Farm Family Day to highlight the UFU’s continuing campaign to secure a fair resolution to the issue of inheritance tax and the imposition of the measure on the farming and food sectors.

The UFU representative brought the matter directly to the attention of Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Belfast last week.

Irvine stated that Northern Ireland remains significantly more exposed to the current inheritance tax measures than any other part of the UK.

“This reflects the fact that so many local farms are actually owned by the people operating them and, moreover, land prices here are significantly higher than is the case in other parts of the UK.

“I made it clear to the Prime Minister that farming families here had to cope with 14 months of unmitigated stress between the Chancellor’s 2024 Budget statement and last December’s confirmation that the inheritance tax threshold would be raised to £2.5 million on the basis that the figure would also be made transferrable between spouses.

“But the bottom line is this: the issue of inheritance tax remains unfinished business for the Ulster Farmers’ Union.”

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