Having defined the challenges for agriculture in Northern Irelands’ Agri – Food Strategy report the industry awaits the necessary initiatives from government to kickstart the process. The enthusiasm for “Growing for growth” needs to be harnessed soon if the momentum is not to be irretrievably lost. The agricultural supply trade is ready and prepared to play a full part in developing the opportunities for the industry. This sector has seen a steady and consistent growth over a number of years as agricultural output has increased and food production has become the mainstay of the Northern Ireland economy. Investments have been made in plant and equipment to improve capacity and efficiency of production. Production costs have been driven down as large multi species mills have increased in size and achieved economies of scale. The growth of the network of country blending operations based on simple mixing of raw materials with minimal processing are also providing low cost nutritional solutions for beef and dairy farms.
Considerable investments are also being made in the areas of Research and Development and in the training of staff to help farmers deliver – not just food for a growing population but the clean, green countryside for the wider community.
The challenges of the coming years will be about bringing science and technology to bear on the need to produce more and more food while reducing the environmental impact of farming. “Precision farming” and “sustainability” will be the buzz words as the industry seeks to produce more from less. Efficiency in the use of all inputs to ensure that the returns in terms of increased production result in more profitable enterprises – and without damage to the environment.
The responsibility and the role of the suppliers of these inputs in communicating the best possible guidance and advice on their use is accepted by the trade. The establishment of the Feed Advisors Register (FAR) with its commitment to train and develop the expertise to fully support the supply of feeds to farms is a significant step forward.
Every sector has its part to play and it is encouraging to see that the effort and investment made by farmers over recent years to improve the storage and utilisation of farm manures is resulting in significant improvements in water quality.
There have also been significant investments in the area of food safety - a major issue for the whole food chain, and the animal feed sector with its dependence on the global marketplace for its raw material supply is very aware of the potential for risks and contamination. Effective management of risk is vital and a unique collaboration between the Institute of Global Food Security at Queens University, Belfast and the Northern Ireland Grain Trade Association is currently leading the world in terms of feed assurance. The Food Fortress initiative has been proven “fit for purpose” following a highly successful pilot scheme involving over 90% of the provinces feed production over a 6 month period. Hundreds of samples tested for the main contaminants which threaten the food chain have been tested in an industry wide program which has produced a substantial database of results which is shared with the participants, regulators and industry partners. “The value of a strategically directed program covering the whole industry is tremendous” says Professor Chris Elliot from the Institute of Global Food Security.
“This delivers a greatly enhanced level of quality assurance across the supply chain. The scheme highlights what can be achieved by an industry working together and it is extremely positive in terms of differentiating NI food produce from the rest of the world”.
