Ulster Unionist Party Deputy Leader and Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs spokesperson, Robbie Butler MLA, has called on the DAERA Minister to act on a planning deadlock that is stalling farm improvements and environmental progress.

Robbie Butler said:

“Week after week, I hear from farmers who want to do the right thing, invest in better facilities, cut emissions, improve animal welfare, and raise environmental standards. Instead of support, they hit a brick wall. The Minister sits on his hands while the Department hides behind the Office for Environmental Protection, even though the OEP has made it clear their intervention does not prevent DAERA from processing applications or issuing guidance.”

“Natural England uses a clear, balanced approach, avoid harm where possible, reduce it when needed, and compensate only as a last resort, ensuring nature is left better off. It is practical, proportionate, and enables progress while improving the environment. DAERA’s refusal to adopt a similar model means we are failing on both fronts, blocking improvements instead of enabling them, and denying farm businesses any realistic chance to modernise or become more sustainable.”

Mr Butler warned that this is happening at a time when pressures on farmers continue to mount:

“Farmers are facing a pile-up of challenges, the ongoing battle to eradicate Bovine TB, the prevalence of avian flu, the looming threat of bluetongue disease, inadequate compensation frameworks, uncertainty around veterinary medicines, and an ever-growing policy load. All of this points to an increasingly unsustainable situation. Yet the Department’s stance leaves them with zero room to expand, improve, or future-proof their businesses.”

“Refusing reasonable, environmentally responsible planning applications does not protect the environment. What it does is strangle productivity, stunt prosperity, and block genuine environmental improvement. Northern Ireland’s agri-food sector, our largest private employer, is being forced backwards while neighbouring jurisdictions move confidently forward.

“It’s hasn’t gone unnoticed that Minister Muir’s Alliance colleague, the member of parliament for Lagan Valley couldn’t even bring herself to vote against the Labour Government’s Bill that has now copper-fastened an inheritance tax change which will choke family farms across Northern Ireland. At a time of unprecedented pressure on family-run businesses, that failure to stand up for them is simply unmissable.

Concluding, Mr Butler issued a clear challenge to the Minister:

“Stop hiding behind flawed guidance. Adopt the mitigation-and-betterment model. Unblock the planning system. Support our farmers to improve, innovate, and protect the environment, not punish them for trying. The choice is clear, will the Minister choose progress, or cling to paralysis?”