Suspension will hit NI farming, warns Rodgers

Plans to suspend the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive will be “deeply damaging” to the North's farming industry, Stormont Agriculture Minister Brid Rodgers warned today.

As the minister faced the grim prospect of having to hand over responsibility for farming, fisheries and rural development to a direct rule minister from Westminster, she blamed paramilitaries and Ulster Unionists for the current political crisis.

The SDLP deputy leader told a conference in Derry on the future of the European Union: “I deeply regret that direct rule may be set to return.

“Over the past three years, I have worked very hard with the farming industry to address many of the issues caused by direct rule neglect.

“We have developed our own position on the Common Agriculture Policy.

“We have conducted a strategic review of the industry and are about to bring forward an action plan. We successfully came together to see off the very real threat that was foot and mouth disease.”

It is believed the British government will suspend devolution on Monday, handing over responsibility for the 10 Stormont Executive departments to an augmented team of direct rule ministers in the Northern Ireland Office.

Mrs Rodgers said there was an “absence of confidence” in the peace process but trust needed to be rebuilt.

“Everyone in positions of political leadership must reflect on whether this process will now be sustained,” the Upper Bann MLA said.

“The SDLP will begin work immediately on rebuilding trust and reconstructing the institutions.

“It is high time for everybody to come back to the Agreement. It is the only item on the agenda – not just for the SDLP but for every party.”

Meanwhile an Assembly colleague of Mrs Rodgers’ today bemoaned the fact that suspension would deny MLAs the opportunity next week to put the case for the North's farming industry directly to the European Union’s Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler.

After a meeting of the Stormont Agriculture Committee chaired by the DUP leader, Ian Paisley, SDLP MLA John Dallat said under devolution a delegation from the committee would have had the chance to advance the case for Northern Ireland next week in Brussels on the future of the CAP.

“This is a disgrace and I think the chairman the Rev Ian Paisley knows that,” the SDLP Assembly member said.

“The Assembly’s research department had produced an excellent paper which would have been the basis of our representation but that is now nothing more than a historical record.

“The proposed reforms will have a profound impact on our farmers and their families and there are many issues relating to modulation and decoupling which need clarification and indeed amendment so that the agriculture industry is afforded a chance to survive, adapt and reform.”

Mr Dallat said the people of Northern Ireland needed to know how their lives would be affected “on a daily basis” by the political crisis leading to a suspension of devolution.