Assembly Committee Visits the Clandeboye Estate Farm

Today (Thursday 19 September), the Assembly’s Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs took its weekly meeting to the Clandeboye Estate in County Down. Following the meeting, Members visited the 670 acre Estate Farm to find out more about how the farm has diversified to ensure more sustainable farming.

Speaking after Thursday’s visit, the Committee Chairperson Lord Elliott MLA said: “We were delighted to hold our weekly meeting in the Clandeboye Estate today and to get the opportunity to visit the Estate Farm which has been widely recognised as a model for diversification and sustainability. We were particularly keen to see the anaerobic digester which is powered by the crops and produces all of the electricity for the farm including the creamery.

“The Committee was also impressed with the opportunities the farm has taken to diversify its operations, including the production of yoghurt which is blended and created using milk from the farm herd.”

The Chairperson concluded: “It is important for us as a Committee to gain practical insight into environmentally friendly farming and to see first-hand how innovative and sustainable methods are changing the face of our local agricultural landscape, as well as providing greener opportunities and benefits to farms and rural communities through diversification.

ENDS

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Northern Ireland Assembly

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Notes to Editor:

• Today’s meeting was held in the James Frazer Room, Clandeboye Estate and Courtyard, Bangor.
• At today’s meeting, the Committee also received briefings from the Clandeboye Estate Farm on farm sustainability and from the Assembly’s Research and Information Service on Just Transition - Climate Change.
• Further information can be found on the Committee agenda here
• An audio recording of today’s meeting is available here
• Further information about the Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, its Membership and its work can be found here