06/10/2026
A really disappointing display from the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland today during the debate on the motion of no confidence in DAERA Minister Andrew Muir.
Let’s be clear about what his job actually is. He isn’t the Minister for the Environment. He is the Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs — three hugely important areas of responsibility.
Nobody is arguing that the environment doesn’t matter. Of course it does. But agriculture matters. Rural communities matter. Our fishing industry matters. And the farmers who keep this country fed and our rural economy moving matter too.
Yet time and time again, there is a growing feeling within the farming community that agriculture and rural affairs are being pushed to the side in favour of one particular agenda.
The motion today was not simply about Fivemiletown. Fivemiletown was the point at which an already deep frustration boiled over.
It was about the handling of the Nutrients Action Programme. It was about the ongoing concerns surrounding AFBI. It was about the crisis facing TB policy and the devastating impact it continues to have on farming families. It was about our fishing industry. It was about the countless pressures farmers are dealing with every single day.
And, perhaps most importantly, it was about trust.
A Minister cannot expect confidence from a sector if that sector feels it is not being listened to. Farmers don’t need someone who only talks about them - they need someone prepared to stand beside them, listen to them and understand the reality of farming on the ground.
The farming community has every right to ask difficult questions of the Minister responsible for their industry. They have every right to expect those concerns to be heard in the Assembly.
Instead, today, Alliance MLAs chose to walk out of the Chamber as those concerns were being debated.
That is what has hurt the farming community most.
Not simply that they disagreed with the motion - politicians are entitled to disagree. But that, at a time when so many farmers feel ignored, frustrated and completely disillusioned, their response was to walk away rather than stay and listen.
The farming community will remember how they were treated today and the smirks on the faces of the Alliance MLA’s as they walked through the door.
“Pantomime politics” as Naomi called it. Someone needs to let her know that her party is playing the leading role.
