Farmers demand withdrawal of NAP Proposals: “Minister must listen or go,” says TUV MLA

Councillor Christopher Jamieson, Timothy Gaston MLA, Mel Lucas and Councillor Allister Kyle at Wednesday’s event.

TUV MLA Timothy Gaston has issued a strong rebuke to DAERA Minister Andrew Muir following a contentious Nutrient Action Programme (NAP) consultation event at Greenmount Agricultural College on Wednesday.

Speaking in solidarity with farmers and members of the agri-food sector, Gaston delivered a stark ultimatum to the Minister:

“Listen—or go.”

The consultation meeting, organised to gather feedback on new environmental proposals aimed at improving water quality, quickly became a platform for discontent.

According to Gaston, not only were the proposals poorly received, but the meeting also laid bare a lack of genuine engagement from the Department and its political leadership.

“On Wednesday afternoon, I attended the NAP consultation event at Greenmount to stand with farmers and the wider agri-food industry and deliver a clear message: enough is enough. These proposals must be withdrawn,” said Gaston.

“Farmers are the true custodians”

At the heart of the criticism is the assertion that farmers are being unfairly targeted by policies that fail to account for other sources of environmental degradation, such as runoff from NI Water infrastructure and septic tanks. Gaston accused the Department of presenting figures without meaningful context or accountability.

“Farmers are the true custodians of our countryside. Any future environmental policy must be developed in partnership with them—not imposed on them,” he continued.

The absence of Minister Muir or any Alliance Party representative at the meeting was sharply criticised.

Farmers were left to air their grievances to departmental civil servants—none of whom, according to Gaston, appeared willing to support the very proposals they were defending.

“If Minister Muir had any serious concern for the agri sector, he would have been present to hear the fear and anger in that room. But he wasn’t. In fact, there wasn’t a single representative from his party in the room,” he stated.

“The industry was left to face civil servants, none of whom could even raise a hand in support of the proposals they were sent to defend. Not one.”

Silence on key issues

Gaston said he raised the issue of food security but received no satisfactory response from the Department. He also noted a lack of clarity on the comparative impact of agricultural practices versus other pollutants.

“And while the Department could cite figures on agriculture, they had no answers—none—on the impact of NI Water or septic tanks on water quality. When I asked about food security, they had nothing. The silence spoke volumes,” he said.

Adding to the frustration was what Gaston described as a lack of transparency and sincerity in the consultation process itself. He claimed that no effort was made to record public feedback during the event, despite a passionate outpouring from those in attendance.

“Worse still, there was no sign of any meaningful consultation. No one from the Department appeared to be recording feedback from the Q&A session—despite speaker after speaker rising with heartfelt conviction, warning of the devastating impact these plans will have on their livelihoods and the future of farming in Northern Ireland,” he said.

“Who is consulting with who? Because from today’s meeting, it looks like the Department is consulting with itself.”

A warning to government

The statement closes with a clear warning to Minister Muir and the Northern Ireland Executive: heed the concerns of the farming community or face political consequences.

“Farmers have found their voice. If the Minister won’t listen, he should go. In truth, I’d welcome both.”

As tensions mount over the future direction of agricultural and environmental policy in Northern Ireland, Wednesday’s events may mark a turning point in the relationship between Stormont and the region’s farming community.