Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to detail any recent discussions he has had on providing targeted relief or subsidies for agricultural fuel use.
Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs: I have raised this issue on a number of occasions with the UK Government, including in recent meetings and have called for Government to step up and provide support to the industry across the UK and specifically in Northern Ireland.
While, at this stage, a support package for farmers affected by the increase in fuel prices is not planned, I am continuing to monitor the situation. The implementation of any future support package would be dependent on the allocation of additional funds to my Department.
Existing support is available to farm businesses through my Department’s Sustainable Agriculture Programme, (SAP) which provides over £330 million in support to the farming sector on an annual basis. The SAP includes the Farm Sustainability Payment, which is designed to improve the resilience of farm businesses and help withstand shocks that are beyond their ability to manage effectively and encouraging businesses to become more environmentally sustainable and efficient.
The Farming with Nature Package within the SAP is planned to support farm businesses across all land types to make substantial contributions to environmental improvements and sustainability. Environmental actions offered under the Farming with Nature Transition Scheme help to protect and improve soils and capture nutrients and can help to reduce reliance on fertilisers.
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