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Research Matters

A blog from the Northern Ireland Assembly Research and Information Service
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Research Matters
Northern Ireland Assembly logo
Research Matters

Mark.Allen

An image of a farming landscape in Ireland

COVID-19 and farming – A bitter harvest?

2020 was already set to be a challenging year for farmers across the UK. Having finally reached an agreed Withdrawal Agreement with the EU, the UK is set to formally leave the EU at the end of the current transitional period in December 2020.  As a result of this decision, the UK and each of the devolved administrations were facing major changes in terms of how they would be supporting farmers outside the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) framework. There were concerns amongst some local stakeholders around the impacts that such moves would have on the nature and viability of agriculture here.

Image by Jonathan Billinger and licensed for reuse under Creative Commons

How could the Brexit vote affect farming and food in Northern Ireland?

The agri-food sector is a significant one for the economy and employment in Northern Ireland. For a number of reasons, the implications of the vote to leave the EU are difficult to gauge at this stage, but this article attempts to sketch out some of the potential impacts.

Image of a milk tanker travelling down a country road (image by Jonathan Billinger and licensed for reuse under Creative Commons)
A milk tanker travelling down a country road; significant quantities of milk are exported from Northern Ireland south of the border for processing (image by Jonathan Billinger and licensed for reuse under Creative Commons).

Read More »How could the Brexit vote affect farming and food in Northern Ireland?

Ash dieback positive sites (November 2012 - December 2015; image: Forest Service)

A clear and present danger: Plant disease and invasive species

The plant disease and invasive species threat posed to the environment in Northern Ireland is increasing, and likely to continue to do so due to factors such as increasing world trade and the potential impacts of climate change. These factors also increase the potential risk of the threats that we face diversifying and affecting a wider range of plant species.

Read More »A clear and present danger: Plant disease and invasive species

Fishing boats in Ardglass harbour (Creative Commons; Image: Ardfern)

A single species fishing industry

Despite not being particularly large in overall UK terms, the sea fishing industry in Northern Ireland makes a significant contribution to the economy of the three County Down ports of Ardglass, Kilkeel and Portavogie where the local fleet is mainly based. However, the local industry could face an uncertain future due to its heavy reliance on prawns.

Fishing boats in Ardglass harbour (Creative Commons; Image: Ardfern)
Fishing boats in Ardglass harbour (Creative Commons; Image: Ardfern)

Read More »A single species fishing industry

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Research and Information Service
Northern Ireland Assembly
Ballymiscaw
Stormont
Belfast
BT4 3XX
Phone: 028 9041 8320

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