MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMITTEE FOR AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
FRIDAY 15 SEPTEMBER 2000
HELD IN ROOM 135 PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS
1. Minutes of Meeting held on 8 September 2000
2. Dogs(Amendment)Bill - Committee Stage
3. Consideration of Statutory Rules
4. The Rural Development Regulation Accompanying Measures Plan
5. Agri-monetary Compensation
6. Department's Response to the Retailing Report and Motion for Debate
7. Any Other Business
Present: Dr IRK Paisley MP MEP MLA (Chairman)
Mr G Savage MLA (Deputy Chairman)
Mr B Armstrong MLA
Mr PJ Bradley MLA
Mr J Dallat MLA
Mr B Douglas MLA
Mr G Kane MLA
Mr G McHugh MLA
Mr I Paisley Jnr. MLA
Apologies: None received
In attendance: Mr M Wilson
Mr P Moore
Miss K Hewitt
The Chairman brought the meeting to order at 10.35 in closed session.
1. Minutes of the Meeting held on 8 September 2000
Resolved: That the draft Minutes of Proceedings for 8 September were agreed.
Mr Paisley Junior joined the meeting at 10.40. Mr Savage joined the meeting at 10.45.
Top2. Dogs (Amendment) Bill - Committee Stage
The Chairman explained that the Ulster Society for the prevention of Cruelty to Animals (USPCA), the National Canine Defence League (NCDL), the Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) and the Northern Ireland Agricultural producers' Association (NIAPA) had been consulted about the Bill's provisions. UFU and NIAPA had made a 'nil return' and the USPCA's and NCDL's responses were distributed for members' information.
The Chairman declared the meeting open to the public at 10.55. The DARD Officials Mr Johnston Given and Mrs Margaret Hood were called in and examined.
The Bill was read, clause by clause.
The Committee considered Clause 1 sub-section 1 and agreed that it should stand part of the Bill.
The Committee considered Clause 1 sub-section 2 and agreed that it should stand part of the Bill subject to consideration by DARD of the need for inclusion of monitoring of the confinement referred to in 1ZA (b) of the sub-section.
The Committee considered Clause 1 sub-section 3 and agreed that it should stand part of the Bill.
The Committee considered Clause 1 sub-section 4 and agreed that it should stand part of the Bill.
The Committee considered Clause 1 sub-section 5 and agreed that it should stand part of the Bill.
The Committee considered Clause 2 sub-section 2 and agreed that it should stand part of the Bill.
The Committee considered Clause 3 sub-section 1 and agreed that it should stand part of the Bill.
The Committee considered Clause 3 sub-section 2 and agreed that it should stand part of the Bill.
The Committee considered Clause 3 sub-section 3 and agreed that it should stand part of the Bill.
The Committee considered Clause 4 and agreed that it should stand part of the Bill.
The Committee considered Clause 5 and agreed that it should stand part of the Bill.
The Committee considered Clause 6 and agreed that it should stand part of the Bill.
The Chairman thanked the DARD officials for their input. The officials left the meeting and the Chairman declared the meeting closed to the public at 11.30.
Top3. Consideration of Statutory Rules
- Foyle Area (Rivers Finn and Foyle Angling Permits) Regulations 2000
- Seed Potatoes (Tuber and Label Fees) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 and
- Marketing of Potatoes (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000.
The Chairman advised that the Chair of the Culture, Arts and Leisure (CAL) Committee had written to the Speaker (as Chairman of the Business Committee) suggesting that this Rule properly lay with his Committee for formal consideration.
Resolved: That in view of the subject matter of the Rule, which deals entirely with issues which fall within the remit of the CAL Committee, this Committee agreed to pass the Rule to the CAL Committee for formal consideration.
The Committee deliberated.
Resolved: That in view of the Department's response to the Committee's request for a review of efficiencies in DARD's work in this area, and the subsequent avoidance of an increase in label fees, the Committee agreed that DARD should now proceed with the two Rules.
Mr Bradley left the meeting at 11.40
Top4. The Rural Development Regulation Accompanying Measures Plan
The Chairman distributed copies of the Plan and covering memorandum from the Minister which had been received at 4 p.m. the previous day. The Chairman declared the meeting open to the public at 11.45.
Four DARD officials: Mr Tom Stainer, Economics Division; Mr Ian McKee, Environmental Policy Division; Mr Ronnie Jordan, Grants and Subsidies Division; and Mr Malcolm Beattie, Forest Service were called in and examined.
Mr Stainer made a brief presentation to the Committee, and this was followed by questions from members. Issues discussed included:
- The lack of time given to the Committee to consider such a lengthy and important document, and DARD's reasons why the plan could not be submitted earlier;
- the lack of fundamental change on the agri-environment part of the plan and the re-formatting of the forestry pat of the plan;
- the fundamental changes required by the EC to the LFA part of the plan;
- the change from headage to area-based payments from 2001;
- the continued priority of DARD to making payments to suckler cow and beef producers;
- DARD's desire to secure an adequate 'safety-net' for those farmers who will be disadvantaged by the new payments system (including the achievement of a 90%, 80%, 50% payment system over three years and securing £7.7m additional funding);
- the mechanisms to be employed to avoid over-compensation of farmers in large holdings;
- the proposed differentiation in payments to farmers in disadvantaged (DA) and severely disadvantaged (SDA) areas and the sub-division regarding common land within SDA;
- the contribution of this plan to DARD's new TSN objectives;
- the proposed rates of payment per hectare and eligibility criteria;
- the proposal to review the scheme to assess whether targeting was effective and whether changes were needed;
- the lack of proposals for the use of available modulation/Treasury match funding funds;
- stocking rates and how they would be used to trigger an assessment of a threat of environmental damage;
- the need for capital grant schemes to keep farms competitive (and DARD's response that their budget does not contain any funds for such schemes);
- whether incentives to control pollution existed within the plan (and the Department's aims to bring many more farmers into the ESA and organic farming schemes);
- whether Targeting Social Need policies excluded farmers from schemes; and
- the Department's argument against an early retirement scheme.
(Mr Dallat left the meeting at 12.05.)
(Dr Paisley left the meeting at 12.40 and Mr Savage assumed the chair.)
Mr Jordan undertook to provide the Committee with figures on:
- how much common land lay within the SDA (on which payment to farmers would be half that on other SDA land);
- the percentage or number of farms which had less than 25 acres/10 ha and which would now be excluded from the scheme; and
- a number of written questions regarding the numbers of farmers who would lose significantly due to the switch to an area-based scheme and the consequences for them after the safety net allocation is exhausted.
The Deputy Chairman thanked the officials for their attendance and adjourned the meeting at 13.05.
Mr Savage resumed the chair (in closed session) at 14.10 at which time Mr Bradley, Mr Douglas, Mr Kane and Mr Paisley Jnr. were also present.
Members deliberated.
Mr Dallat and Mr Armstrong joined the meeting at 14.20. Mr Kane and Mr Bradley declared an interest as potential beneficiaries under the LFA scheme.
Resolved: that the Committee should express its concern to the Minister that the plan as proposed does not benefit small farmers to the same extent as larger ones and that this should be addressed by adopting the Scottish figure of 3 ha as the lower eligibility amount.
Dr Paisley joined the meeting and resumed the chair at 14.35. Mr McHugh joined the meeting at 14.40.
Resolved: that the Committee should recommend that an early retirement scheme be included in the review of the plan in 2002/2003 and that the Committee's earlier concerns about the use of modulation funding to underwrite the plan's schemes be reiterated in the reply to the Minister which should issue immediately.
Mr Armstrong left the meeting at 15.00.
Resolved: that members would meet again on Monday 18 September and seek further information from the DARD officials.
Top5. Agri-monetary Compensation
The Chairman referred members to their papers which included the Minister's submission and the responses from the UFU and NIAPA.
Resolved: that the draft reply to the Minister was approved for issue.
Top6. Department's Response to the Retailing Report and Motion for debate
The Chairman referred to copies of the Minister's letter of 7 September.
Resolved: that the Committee should seek a debate in plenary session on Monday 25 September 2000 and that the following motion should be lodged in the Business office under the Chairman's name:
"That the Assembly accepts and endorses the findings and recommendations contained in the Agriculture Committee's Report: 'Retailing in Northern Ireland - a fair deal for the farmer?' and urges everyone concerned with the industry to take all necessary steps to implement the recommendations."
Top7. Date of Next meeting
Resolved: that the Committee should meet in Room 135 at 2 p.m. on Monday 18 September for further discussions on the Accompanying Measures Plan in addition to the normal Friday meeting on 22 September.
TopIan R K Paisley
Chairman