UPDATE

30 June 2017

UFU pays tribute to Gerald Erwin: The Ulster Farmers’ Union has paid tribute to South Antrim arable farmer and former Seeds and Cereals chairman, Gerald Erwin saying his sudden and untimely death was a great loss to both the organisation and the wider farming community.UFU president Barclay Bell said that it was with great sadness that the Union learned of the death of Gerald. He was a committed UFU member, actively involved in the seeds and cereals policy committee and a willing and able volunteer and advocate for his fellow farmers.Mr Erwin was a member of the UFU South Antrim group and his wife, Patricia, is a policy officer at the UFU’s headquarters. Gerald was a well known farmer and businessman and HQ has had many phone calls from members expressing their sadness and offering condolences. Our thoughts and prayers are with Patricia and the wider family circle at this very difficult time.

Tory-DUP deal:UFU president Barclay bell has said that farmers will be encouraged by the government commitment to provide the same cash total in funds for farm support until the end of parliament and that Northern Ireland’s agri-industry has been highlighted as a critical policy area for the EU exit negotiations. The additional financial support for Northern Ireland as a result the Tory-DUP deal is also welcome news, in particular, the commitment to improving broadband which will be of significant benefit to rural communities. The Unionare awaiting the release of more detail to get a better idea of what exactly the deal means for farmers here in Northern Ireland. However, it is important that there is a functioning NI Executive and Assembly at Stormont to help deliver the deal.

UFU signs letter calling for Stormont deal:UFU joined the CBI, NICVA, and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions Northern Ireland Committee to collectively call on politicians to reach agreement to restore devolved institutions that work for everyone as soon as possible to deal with major challenges looming for our society. Full story: bit.ly/2tsQKuR

UFU executive rundown:The UFU’s Executive met this week and discussed a wide range of issues including: Brexit; EU Exceptional Aid (EEA) package; Land Mobility scheme; UFU Next Generation Forum; Cattle Identification Queries (IDQ’s); CAP; secotral issues relating to beef, sheep, dairy, poultry; and environmental issues.

UFU comment on USDA decision to ban Brazilian Beef: The Ulster Farmers’ Union says the decision by the US Department of Agriculture to ban the import of fresh Brazilian beef echoes its concerns that sanctions by the European Union have not matched the scale of shortcomings highlighted by allegations of bribery to allow the export of sub-standard meat.UFU president, Barclay Bell said that it was wrong that the European Commission is pressing ahead with attempts to secure a free trade deal with the Mercosur countries of South America, when there is such a big question mark over the fitness of one of the key players to export food. The Union agrees with other farm lobby organisations that these talks should be delayed until that is resolved. Full story:bit.ly/2rZhyD9

Survey on agricultural education and training: Are you currently farming and have you previously studied an agriculture relatedcourse at CAFRE (or before CAFRE’s formation in 2004; at Greenmount, Loughry orEnniskillen College) or at a local university? If yes, then AFBI would like to invite youto take part in the survey looking at ways of encouraging and supporting training andlifelong learning within the farming sector. You can access it by clicking on the link below:

or by going to the AFBI website

If you have any queries regarding the survey please contact

African Swine Fever:The UFU is encouraging pig farmers to be vigilant following reports of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the Czech Republic. Farmers are urged to report any clinical signs and observe the swill feeding ban.

Farmers Encouraged to ‘Walk the Line’: In recent years specification has become a major area of discussion in the livestock sector. This was something the UFU beef and lamb committee recognised as being an issue for farmers and over the past 8 months the Union worked in conjunction with the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) and the Northern Ireland Meat Exporters Associations (NIMEA) to establish a new initiative called ‘Walk the Line’ which seeks to offer producers the chance to experience free tours of all the major processing plants in Northern Ireland.This is an excellent opportunity for all producers keen to understand what happens to their livestock after they have been dropped off at the plant. Since the ‘Walk the Line’ initiative was launched in May there has been a strong response from producers keen to go on the tours and the UFU would encourage those who have not as yet signed up to contact the LMC and book in for the next available tour. The events are currently taking place on the seven main processing sites in Northern Ireland for both cattle and sheep. If you would like to book in please contact the LMC on 028 9263 3000.Full story:

UFU hold members Brexit Meetings: The UFU leadership team have scheduled a number of farm visits for its members to discuss in detail the UFU’s Brexit policy paper it published recently, outlining options for a new domestic agriculture policy post Brexit. If you would like to join in the debate please contact your local UFU group office to inform them of your interest. The dates and times for the meetings are as follows:

Monday 3rd July:

  • UFU Mid Down, SW Down and Donard Groups: Monday 3rd July 10.30am to 12noon. Host Farm: Davy & Ken Martin, 51 Ballyloughlin Road, Dundrum, BT33 0QG.

Tuesday 4th July:

  • UFU Ballyclare, South Antrim and Larne Groups: Tuesday 4th July from 2pm to 3.30pm. Host farm: Mr James Watts Farm, 27 Rickamore Brae, Templepatrick,Ballyclare, BT39 0JG.

Wednesday 5th July:

  • UFU North Tyrone and Mid Tyrone Groups: Wednesday 5th July from 2pm to 3.30pm. Host farm: Dessie and David McElrea, 1 Davies Road, Lisnatunny, Newtownstewart, BT78 4NH.

Thursday 6th July:

  • UFU South Tyrone and North West Armagh Groups: Thursday 6th July at 2pm. Host farm: Chris Gill, Caledon Estates, Caledon, BT68 4TU.

Friday 7th July:

  • UFU Ards, Lagan and North Down Groups:Friday 3rd July 2pm to 3.30pm. Host farm: Crosby Clelands Farm, 21 Greens Road, Saintfield, Ballynahinch, BT24 7EE.

UFU Beef Price Watch:

UFU MPI:

Latest MPI is 31.52 ppl (up from 31.32). The extremely strong demand for butter continues to rise with the DDB/ZuiveNL commodity butter price rising to a record €6100/tonne from €5600/tonne. Skimmed Milk Powder took a slight drop over the same period from €2000/tonne to €1890/tonne. However, the rise in butter prices continues to increase the overall MPI.

NEXT WEEK

  • NSA sheep event
  • Land Mobility interviews
  • FBIS update meeting
  • Potato festival meeting
  • UFU centenary group meeting
  • RSPB Brexit meeting
  • MEP Jim Nicholson meeting
  • Review of decisions – public meeting
  • Policy Committee Meetings: Rural Development; Dairy

Ulster Farmers Union UPDATE is a service offered to UFU members and staff only. To help improve the service, please send any feedback to UFU Headquarters. Although every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, neither the UFU or the author can accept liability for errors and omissions.Comments are the views of the Ulster Farmers’ Union at the time of publication.475 Antrim Road, Belfast, BT15 3DATel: 028 90 370222 Fax: 028 90 371231E mail: Website: