Farmers in Northern Ireland have delivered a major blow to Stormont’s agriculture department after the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) passed a unanimous vote of no confidence in the Department for Agriculture (DAERA).
DAERA oversees farming, environmental policy, and rural affairs in Northern Ireland — but relations with the industry have become increasingly strained.
The UFU executive’s vote reflects growing anger among farmers over what they see as the department’s failure to support the sector on key issues, from bovine TB and ammonia controls to climate policy and farm support schemes.
UFU president William Irvine said the move was first discussed in the summer following the “flawed” Nutrients Action Programme consultation.
Although the union gave DAERA time to respond, frustration had grown “over the last few months on a host of other issues”, prompting Wednesday night’s decisive action.
Mr Irvine said the result “represents a deep dissatisfaction from UFU members on how the Department is handling key issues affecting farmers”. He added that while the union had engaged “in good faith”, that goodwill “was not being reciprocated by DAERA”.
Among the main grievances were delays or failures on a series of policies — including wildlife intervention to control bovine TB, ammonia regulations, planning and nutrient management, sheep sector support, and generational renewal under the sustainable farming programme.
“There is also the ongoing unjustified focus on agriculture regarding climate change and Lough Neagh,” Mr Irvine said, adding that the recent AFBI data breach had heightened concerns about data security.
He concluded: “Our members now have zero confidence in DAERA’s willingness or ability and this unanimous vote of no confidence is unfortunately a very stark reflection of DAERA’s failings and inadequacies.”
The vote has sent shockwaves through Northern Ireland’s political circles. DUP agriculture spokesperson Carla Lockhart MP described it as a “momentous and damning indictment” of Minister Andrew Muir and his department.
“This is a big move by the UFU Executive and a wake-up call for the Department of Agriculture,” she said, adding that it laid bare “the deep anger and frustration that exists right across our farming and rural communities.”
Ms Lockhart accused DAERA of being “anti-rural, anti-farmer and anti–common sense”, citing “flawed consultations” and a failure to engage with stakeholders.
She argued that the department’s handling of key policies — including the Nutrients Action Programme and bovine TB control — had eroded trust among farmers.
“Farmers across Northern Ireland feel anxious, ignored, side-lined and left carrying the burden of policies that show little understanding of the realities on the ground,” she said. “The people who feed us and sustain our countryside have been ignored and betrayed for far too long.”
The UFU’s decision marks one of the strongest rebukes yet to DAERA from within the farming community — and a clear signal that trust between the department and farmers has hit breaking point.
