Minutes of Proceedings

The Deputy Chairman advised the Committee that the Chairman would be delayed. He therefore called the meeting to order at 10.00 and declared the meeting open to the public. 

1. Minutes of Proceedings on 20 October

1.1 Resolved: that the draft Minutes of Proceedings for 20 October were approved

2. Matters Arising

2.1 Fisheries (Amendment) Bill. Members noted Mrs Hagan's letter of 6 November. Resolved: that DARD should make every effort to bring forward its proposed amendment to the Committee at its meeting on 17 November. Members noted Mr Prentice's letter of 20 October and the proposed Regulations which were enclosed with it. Resolved: that DARD should be asked to reconsider the use of the words "Shellfish Prohibition" in the title of the proposed Regulations as this seemed to be ambiguous. Members felt that "Shell fishery prohibition" or "Shell Fishing prohibition" might be preferable.

2.2 Budget proposals. Members noted the final Committee letter to the DFP Committee and the final press release issued by the Committee.

2.3 DARD's Vision Group. Mr Kane stated that he had requested a detailed profile of the Vision Group, including all previous employment of individual members, during the meeting with DARD on 13 October but had not yet received this. Resolved: that the Committee should issue a reminder to DARD seeking this information.

Mr Armstrong attended the meeting at 10.15. 

3. Any Other Business

3.1 Consultation Paper on the 90-head limit on claims for Beef Special Premium. Members noted the letter of 30 October from the Minister's office. Resolved: that if the consultation paper has not yet issued DARD should be asked to arrange for an appropriate official to brief the Committee on the issue and proposed consultation. If the paper has been issued DARD should be asked to field an appropriate official after the consultation is complete but before any decision is taken on policy. members also asked for sight of the MAFF consultation letter in order to compare it with that proposed for issue in Northern Ireland.

Mr Bradley attended the meeting at 10.25.

3.2 Vision Group. Members considered Mr Small's letter of 3 November. Resolved: that the Committee should accept the suggestion of an informal meeting with the whole Vision Group at which an external presentation would be made. This acceptance was subject to an agenda being agreed with clear objectives for the meeting, to Committee members having opportunities for input and to the Committee's retention of its insistence for proper formal consultation before publication of any report by the Vision Group.

3.3 Committee Forward Planning. Members noted the contents of the Committee's letter to DARD dated 27 October. Resolved: that the Clerk should convey members' concerns that the issues remained outstanding and that DARD should be asked to make every effort to schedule these issues for formal discussions at the earliest opportunity.

The Deputy Chairman adjourned the meeting at 10.35 to facilitate members' attendance at the Remembrance service.

The meeting was reconvened at 11.20 in public when Dr Paisley assumed the chair. Messrs. Savage, Armstrong, Dallat and McHugh were also present.

3.4 Organic Farming. Members considered the letter of 31 October from the Minister's office. Resolved: that the Committee should request a paper from DARD on the current position regarding organic farming, that the Clerk should commission advice from the Assembly's Research Services on organic farming, that the Committee should meet with representatives from the organic Farming Liaison Group referred to in the DARD paper and that the Committee should seek to meet with the consultants who have been engaged by DARD to carry out the study.

Messrs Bradley and Kane re-joined the meeting at 11.30. Mr Armstrong left the meeting at 11.40.

3.5 Silent Valley. The Committee considered Mr Small's letter of 6 November. Resolved: that the Committee should seek a further meeting with DARD officials regarding the extent of the "force majeure" arrangements and the implications for producers in subsequent years; the Department's assertion about stocking densities and availability of information on grazing, in view of the requirements on producers to complete IACS forms; the complications of a 3 year ban on grazing; and what implications there were, if any, regarding the grazing of new stock following completion of a ban. The Committee agreed that, subsequent to these discussions, it should also meet with the producers affected by the ban. Mr Bradley agreed to make contact with the farmers and to provide a list of contacts for the Committee.

Mr Ford re-joined the meeting at 11.50.

3.6 Correspondence with the LMC regarding their use of a draft transcript. The Committee deliberated. Resolved: that the draft letter from the Clerk to the LMC Chief Executive was agreed and should issue. Mr Kane sought to remind members that the LMC's original letter about the 22 September evidence session had suggested a falsification of information by a member regarding the downgrading of animals by LMC staff. Mr Kane felt that this reference had been directed at him and he offered his assurance to members that there was no falsification of information on his part.

3.7 Allegations of Cartel activity amongst meat plants in Northern Ireland. The Chairman referred to the letter of 20 October, which had been received from the National Beef Association (NBA), to correspondence with the Assembly's legal advisor and to the reply, dated 2 November, received from the Office of Fair Trading. The Committee deliberated. Resolved: that the Committee should seek to meet with a representative of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) at which the Committee could explain its role in representing farmers and seek assurance that there would be a full and fair investigation of these complaints by the OFT. It was further resolved that the Committee should reply to the NBA letter, explaining that the Committee could offer an individual no immunity as sought in their letter and that the Committee was in correspondence with the OFT and did not wish to prejudice the OFT investigation.

Mr Dallat left the meeting at 12.10. The Chairman declared the meeting closed to the public at 12.10.

4. Inquiry into Debt - the Particular Circumstances faced by the pig and beef industries

4.1 The Committee's Specialist Advisor joined the meeting at 12.10. The Committee deliberated.

4.2 Resolved: that the Committee would extend the Specialist Advisor's contract to enable him to incorporate a summary of DARD evidence into the draft report and to provide advice to the Committee as part of its line by line consideration of the two draft reports.

Mr Douglas attended the meeting at 12.15 and the Chairman offered the condolences of the Committee to him regarding his recent bereavement.

4.3 Resolved: that the Specialist Advisor would not attend further meetings but that issues raised during line-by-line consideration would be dealt with in correspondence with him.

Messrs Ford and Savage left the meeting at 12.20. Mr Armstrong re-joined the meeting at 12.20.

4.4 The Specialist Advisor briefed members on the changes he had made to the draft conclusions and recommendations, for the beef report, following instructions received by members at the meeting on 20 October.

The Chairman adjourned the meeting briefly from 12.35 to 12.55 at which time Messrs Ford and Savage re-joined the meeting. Mr Savage left the meeting at 13.05.

4.5 The Committee deliberated.

4.6 Resolved: that the Specialist Advisor should complete his further work on the two reports by 20 November and that the Committee would meet twice, on Thursday 23 November and Friday 24 November (both at 10.00), after which further correspondence with the Advisor would take place with a view to the Committee signing off the reports on Friday 1 December. Also resolved that the Minutes of Evidence taken on 22 September and 4 October should be published on the web-site.

4.7 The Specialist advisor left the meeting at 13.45.

The Chairman declared the meeting re-open to the public at 13.45.

5. Consideration of Statutory Rules

5.1 Members noted the letter dated 31 October in which DARD agreed to the Committee's suggestion regarding the consideration of draft Statutory Rules which were subject to a public consultation process.

5.2 Members noted the report by the Examiner of Statutory Rules on the Welfare of Farmed Animals Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 (SR.2000 No 270).

5.3 Members deliberated on 2 Statutory Rules which they had previously considered at pre-drafting consultation stage.

5.4 The following question was put and agreed:

that the Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development has considered the Marketing of Potatoes (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 (SR.2000 No 298) and has no objection to the Rule.

5.5 The following question was put and agreed:

that the Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development has considered the Seed Potatoes (Tuber and Label Fees) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 (SR.2000 No 299) and has no objection to the Rule.

5.6 The Committee considered the Department's proposal to make a Statutory Rule (the Common Agricultural Policy Support Schemes (Modulation) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000) and agreed that it was content for the Department to proceed with making the Rule.

6. Date of Next Meeting

6.1 Resolved: that the next meeting would take place on Friday 17 November at 10.00 in Room 135, Parliament Buildings.

The Chairman brought the meeting to a close at 14.05.