Ulster Unionist MLA, Robbie Butler, has raised the alarm over the exclusion of sheep from Northern Ireland’s proposed genetic ruminant improvement scheme, warning that leaving sheep farming out of scope risks undermining both agricultural sustainability and rural resilience.

After recent discussions with Ellen Moorehead and Edward Adamson of the National Sheep Association (NSA), Butler highlighted that while cattle are currently set to benefit from targeted investment in genetics and performance, sheep – particularly in hill and upland areas – remain overlooked.

Butler said, “This is a major gap in the policy. Sheep farmers manage some of our most challenging landscapes, and they deserve access to the same tools and innovation as other sectors. Leaving them out sends the wrong message.”

Butler stressed that genetic improvement is not just about productivity, but also about long-term environmental outcomes, climate resilience, and animal welfare. By supporting sheep farmers with better breeding and performance data, he argues, Northern Ireland could enhance the viability of a sector already under pressure from market volatility, land limitations, and rising costs.

Butler added, “Sheep should not be treated as second-class within agricultural policy. Inclusion in the genetic ruminant scheme is not just fair, it’s strategic. We need to future-proof our hill farming sector, not leave it behind.”