Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
The Committee pictured shortly before the start of a meeting in room 21, Parliament Buildings.
Latest News
The next meeting of the Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs will take place on Thursday 18 June 2026 The meeting will start at 10am in the Conference Room, The Portaferry Hotel, 10 The Strand, Portaferry.
The Committee will have briefings on the following:
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Briefing from Anglo-North Irish Fish Producers Organisation (ANIFPO) & The Northern Ireland Fish Producers’ Organisation Ltd (NIFPO)
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Briefing from The Department of Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs - Role of DAERA at Exploris Aquarium
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Departmental Written Briefing - Technical Amendments to the Rules Governing Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme Using Powers in the Agriculture Act (NI) 2025
- Departmental Written Briefing - Shaping Places Programme and Allocation of the £50m DAERA Contribution
- SL1 - The Dangerous Dogs (Compensation and Exemption Schemes) (Amendment) Order (Northern Ireland) 2026
Details of upcoming meetings and agendas can be found on the Business Diary.
Interested in the future work of the Committee? View our Forward Work Programme.
Committee Membership
The current Committee membership is:
- Mr Robbie Butler, UUP (Chairperson)
- Mr Declan McAleer MLA, Sinn Féin (Deputy Chairperson)
- Mr John Blair MLA, Alliance
- Mr Tom Buchanan MLA, DUP
- Ms Aoife Finnegan MLA, Sinn Féin
- Mr Daniel McCrossan MLA, SDLP
- Miss Michelle McIlveen MLA, DUP
- Miss Áine Murphy MLA, Sinn Féin
- Mr Gareth Wilson MLA, DUP
Quick Links
- Watch Again
- Forward Work Programme
- Minutes of Proceedings
- Minutes of Evidence
- Legislation
- Reports
- Research Papers
- Press Releases
- Committee Engagement
- Guidance for witnesses appearing before a Committee and on submitting written evidence
- Committee Privacy Notice
- Work of the Committee in previous mandate
Areas with Natural Constraints (Payments) Bill - Have your say!
The Dilapidation Bill was formally introduced by Declan McAleer, MLA on Tuesday 16th February 2026.
A Bill to require the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to make regulations under the Agriculture Act 2020 as to payments for areas with natural constraints.
The Bill completed its Second Stage on Tuesday 22nd March 2026 and is now referred to the Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for scrutiny.
As part of the Assembly’s legislative processes, the Committee will now consider and take evidence on the Bill and report its opinion to the Assembly.
The closing date for responses is Monday 6th July 2026.
Further information
Climate Justice Conference - 18th June 2026
Focusing on the ecological crisis at Lough Neagh, the conference will bring together a range of perspectives to examine the complex legal, regulatory, and governance issues associated with large-scale ecological change. The event is designed to provide a space for informed, constructive discussion on how different systems and institutions interact, and how they can be strengthened to support more effective environmental outcomes.
Pictured below are Robbie Butler MLA, Chair of the AERA Committee, Dr Eduardo Salazar-Ortuño, and Simon Chambers, Chair of the Law Society's Climate Justice Group.
Contact the Committee
Committee Clerk: Dr Janice Thompson
Room 285, Parliament Buildings,
Ballymiscaw,Stormont,
Belfast, BT4 3XX
Tel: (028) 90 521369
Email: Committee.AgriEnvRural@niassembly.gov.uk
