Rural Review - May 2008

I don't know about you, but as May Day quickly comes around once again, I can't believe it's creeping up on another Balmoral Show. 'Country Comes to Town' in what is certainly the highlight of the Northern Ireland Agricultural Calendar.

Running from Wednesday 14 May to Friday 16 May, the 2008 Balmoral Show will offer its usual extravaganza of colour, competition and showmanship - combining the best of Northern Ireland livestock with agricultural equipment / machinery displays, and that's only the UUP stand!

As your local MLA, I would like to invite you along to our Party's stand (located on the ground floor at E31), no matter what your political views are. The UUP has attended the show for 3 years now, and it has proved very successful with everyone involved. With a bit of banter & advice on many things, your local Councillors, MLAs, MPs and even our very own MEP Jim Nicholson are on hand throughout the three day event for a chat on those 'on the ground issues.'

With May being a very demanding time for farmers, I hope that the 'springtime feeling' will signify a better turn in the prospects for Pig Producers. The pig farmers of Northern Ireland are under extreme pressure in the current climate of high feed costs, with many having to give serious consideration to their future in the sector. These farmers have fought to remain in production against a backdrop which has witnessed many of their colleagues in the industry going to the wall such has been the scale of the problems in the sector in the past decade.

The many farmers and associated workers involved in the production and processing of local pig meat will suffer as a consequence of the cold, clinical attitude of our Agriculture Minister, which seems to want to leave them totally at the mercy of global demand and supply with little in the way of real commitment to strengthening the sector for the future

Rising costs of production, particularly feed, fertiliser and fuel, are now a huge challenge for the farming sector as a whole, so it is in the Nation's interest to ensure that a viable local food production industry is maintained

Just as I finish off, can I also remind you that the closing date for IACS/Single Application Forms is Thursday 15^th May 2008. So please don't delay with your submission to avoid late penalties or even rejection!