Potato growers in counties Armagh and Down impacted by floods last November will not be in line to receive a share of the £15m support for businesses allocated by NI Secretary of State, Chris Heaton-Harris, a DAERA spokesperson has confirmed.

“The case for a financial support scheme has been rigorously examined by DAERA. A business case was completed to test the need and value for money of a potential support package. However, the conclusion of this process is that government intervention is not likely to confer a net benefit to the NI economy that would justify expenditure. For this reason, DAERA will not be implementing a support scheme,” the spokesperson said.

They added that DAERA recognises 2023 was a challenging year for growers and said technical advice continues to be made available by CAFRE to assist the sector.