Representatives from the NI sheep industry have made clear to MLAs at Stormont that the future of the sector is at risk due to cuts made to farm support payments.

The first of those cuts was applied in 2024, with 9% taken off all basic payment scheme (BPS) money to fund new beef schemes. A further cut will be applied in 2025, when a new suckler payment kicks in.

In total, 2025 payments will be down 17% on what was received in 2023. With a protein crop scheme also requiring funding, there are fears the deduction might actually be closer to 18%.

“The ongoing effects of the 18%, will have a big impact, long-term, on sheep farming, especially if you’re sheep only. There definitely will be less sheep in the uplands and probably on lowland farms too,” Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) deputy president, Glen Cuddy told the Stormont Agriculture committee last Thursday.

“I’ve been getting phone calls every day and every night about what are you doing for the sheep sector.

“We can only tell them that we’re doing our best,” added Sean Fitzpatrick from the NI Agricultural Producers’ Association (NIAPA).

‘Disillusioned’

The NIAPA representative said sheep producers have been left “disillusioned” by the change to farm payments and if sheep numbers do drop, it is the upland environment that will suffer.

“It will grow into a wilderness,” he said.

Sheep industry representatives recently put their case to DAERA policy officials and are due to meet Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir in early October, however, they expressed frustration at how long the process has taken.

“We had requested meetings with officials over the sheep scheme. We got no comeback at all until recently – until we put in a request to meet the minister,” said Glen Cuddy.

He added that the meeting with officials had not left him optimistic a sheep scheme would be possible in the near future.

Without that, he said sheep farmers in NI will be left behind when compared to counterparts in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) and Britain.

In ROI, as well as a well-funded research programme and a genetics scheme run by Sheep Ireland, there is €20/ewe available via a Sheep Improvement Scheme and a National Sheep Welfare Scheme.

In Britain, Signet offers a sheep genetics scheme, while in England, livestock farmers can avail of funding for an animal health and welfare review (and follow-up meeting) led by a private vet. English sheep farmers can claim up to £1,075.

In February 2023, a sheep industry taskforce in NI produced a report outlining a vision for the development of the NI sheep industry.

At the meeting with the Stormont Agriculture committee, UFU policy officer Kellie Rouse, summarised that report into five key asks from government.

  • A sheep genetic improvement programme similar to that from Sheep Ireland and Signet in Britain.
  • A sheep health and welfare scheme, similar to the one offered in England.
  • A sustainable land management and biodiversity scheme, tailored to the sheep sector.
  • A capital investment measure.
  • A research programme for sheep.

    • The industry representatives who met MLAs made it clear they are “not looking for money for nothing” and instead suggesting that farmers make positive changes to receive a payment. Ultimately, something is required to attract young people into the sector.

    “It’s quite scary at the minute the lack of young people that are actually staying at home to farm in the uplands,” said Kellie Rouse.