Following this week’s Stormont Assembly debate which centered on a DUP motion of no confidence in the Minister, Alliance Party MLA’s left the chamber rather than engaging or attempting to understand the concerns that have been voiced by farmers and industry stakeholders for some time. 

Carla Lockhart MP said: “Instead of listening and taking on board the valid concerns which are being echoed across the farming fraternity, the Minister, the Alliance leader and party colleagues simply stood up and walked out. That was an arrogant and dismissive action, which will further damage confidence among farmers who already feel ignored.”

She added: “The Minister seems to like running. We all remember him running out of the Eikon Centre during the UFU’s inheritance tax rally. Yet again, it appears that, when the going gets tough, Andrew Muir gets going. This time he is running from transparency and accountability.

“Andrew Muir is not just the environment Minister, he is also the agriculture and rural affairs Minister. His ministerial portfolio includes responsibility for an agri-food industry that punches well above its weight, supports tens of thousands of jobs, sustains communities right across Northern Ireland and contributes billions of pounds annually to the economy.

“When will he realise that farmers have voices, and that those voices must be heard?”

The MP added: “Andrew Muir’s actions this week have clearly demonstrated his contempt and disdain for the concerns shared by members of Northern Ireland’s farming community. They are right to question his leadership and DAERA’s direction of travel.

“Farmers are entitled to be heard. They are entitled to have their concerns taken seriously, and they are entitled to straightforward answers when something goes badly wrong.

“The controversial Fivemiletown cattle cull has now been festering for months. Fifty-one cattle were shot by DAERA staff following a court deprivation order, and despite the Minister commissioning an external review, many questions remain about the decisions taken before and during that operation.

“Rest assured, Minister, the questions surrounding that fateful day in Fivemiletown will not simply disappear. The truth will come out. This catastrophe cannot and must not be brushed under the carpet.”

The DUP agriculture spokesperson continued: “The Ulster Farmers’ Union has tabled votes of no confidence in DAERA and in the Minister, while my DUP colleagues have rightly followed that lead. These measures weren’t taken lightly and should act as a wake-up call to the Minister. He remains blinkered and fails to appreciate the depth of frustration within the farming community.

“The Fivemiletown cattle cull was the straw that broke the camel’s back. But it didn’t happen in isolation,” explalined the MP. “Farmers are being disproportionately blamed for the pollution in Lough Neagh. They have endured the Nutrients Action Programme (NAP), witnessed a series of flawed consultations, and the endless kicking of the can down the road when it comes to the eradication of bovine TB. Farmers have also been left angry and dismayed by the breaches of environmental and animal welfare regulations attributed to AFBI’s site at Hillsborough.

“As Deborah Erskine, the MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone said, the Minister appears more interested in penalising farmers or finding fault with them, than championing them.”

Carla Lockhart said she welcomed cross-party support for the concerns raised during the vote of confidence debate. “It is important that MLAs from across the political spectrum recognise that confidence in the Minister and his Department is waning, and that accountability matters.

“The Minister just never seems to learn. Even when presented with serious concerns about the so-called independent review into Fivemiletown, he dug his heels in and forged ahead with his own agenda rather than listening to calls for a multi-disciplinary, panel-led review.

“Farmers deserve answers about what happened during that fateful day in Fivemiletown. They deserve to know why decisions were taken, what alternatives were considered and whether everything that could reasonably have been done was done.”

The MP stressed: “More importantly, farmers deserve an Agriculture Minister who will stand up, listen and engage - not one who runs away when faced with difficult questions."



“It was deeply disappointing to see Naomi Long leading Alliance members out of chamber. Farmers across Northern Ireland will rightly ask why their concerns were not worthy of the full attention of the Minister’s party colleagues."

“Andrew Muir can continue to run, but he cannot hide from accountability indefinitely. The farming community will continue to demand answers, and I will continue to stand with them in getting those answers.”