Farmers in Northern Ireland facing ‘very real crunch’, UFU president warns

Farmers in Northern Ireland need direct support to protect them from the “very real crunch” of rising energy and fertiliser costs, the president of the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has said.

However, William Irvine said he believed “blocking roads is not the way forward” ahead of expected protests in Northern Ireland over the rising cost of fuel.

Mr Irvine met political parties at Stormont on Monday, and will be meeting Government officials in Westminster on Tuesday.

He called on political leaders from Northern Ireland to co-sign a letter to the Prime Minister to “send a very strong and clear message” about the challenges facing the agriculture sector.

Mr Irvine said: “At farm level there is a very real crisis around energy costs, fuel costs and fertiliser costs.

“It is a very real crunch for farmers.

“Prior to the Iranian war, I was having a lot of conversations around the cost of doing business and this energy hike has just risen that higher than anybody thought it would ever go.”

He added: “We currently have a letter drafted that we would be very keen that all party leaders would co-sign with us, that’s a letter to the Prime Minister.

“That would be a very strong and clear message right to Downing Street of the current situation here in Northern Ireland.”

The UFU president said there was a “lack of clarity” around what is driving price hikes and also over reserves of fuel and fertiliser.

He said: “We want much greater market transparency so that our members have more clarity when they are making their decisions.

“Currently, there is quite a bit of ‘just in time’ in the supply chain and in this current state of volatility right around the world, we think that just in time supply chain is not fit for purpose.

“Northern Ireland should have greater clarity and greater reserves of fuel and fertiliser.”

In recent days posts have appeared on social media calling for people to support energy fuel protests. A number of the protests are planned for Tuesday.

Similar protests in the Republic of Ireland have led to days of significant disruption.

Mr Irvine said he did not know who was behind the protests.

He added: “It remains to be seen what plays out. We have no input into that and we are not calling for our members to support it.

“If roads are blocked, our members are as likely to be impacted as anyone else in society.

“For all, this is a very real issue, very current, but blocking roads is not the way forward at this moment in time.”

He said a number of European governments had produced plans to support their agriculture sectors.

He added: “There are various options there, reducing the tax rate on fuel and giving financial support to fertiliser costs.

“The supply chain right down the line, if costs rise they pass it on to the next guy, we are at the end of that chain, it is hard for us to pass it on to anyone.

“All that is playing out here eventually will land at the consumer and they will pick up the ultimate price here.

“And it is a matter of trying to avoid that as much as we can.”

Mr Irvine also warned of the impact of the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), which will apply a carbon tax on fertilisers imported from the beginning of next year.

He said: “The timing of that is disastrous.

“It was going to be a challenge to agriculture, but in the current situation it is a challenge too far.

“We think they need to step back from the carbon tax on fertiliser and on farm we need direct support just at this moment.”