Farming families across Northern Ireland are once again finding themselves under intense scrutiny, following renewed political debate at Stormont around countryside protection, wildlife loss and pollution. For many in the rural community, this has felt all too familiar: another moment where farmers are portrayed as the problem, rather than recognised as essential partners in caring for the countryside.
At the Countryside Alliance, we believe this narrative is not only unfair, but deeply counterproductive.
Northern Ireland’s countryside is shaped by generations of farmers who have worked the land, maintained hedgerows, cared for livestock and preserved the character of rural landscapes. These are not abstract environmental issues for farming families, this is their home, their livelihood and their legacy.
Farmers have a direct stake in healthy soils, clean water and resilient ecosystems. No one benefits from polluted rivers, degraded land or declining wildlife, least of all those who rely on the land day in, day out. To suggest that farmers are indifferent to environmental outcomes ignores both reality and experience.
There is broad agreement that Northern Ireland faces serious environmental challenges, including biodiversity decline and water quality pressures. But these problems have multiple causes, many of them decades in the making.
Agriculture plays a role, but so too do:
Ageing wastewater infrastructure
Urban development
Historic planning decisions
Long-standing government policy that encouraged food production without matching environmental investment
Reducing these complex issues to a single sector risks oversimplifying the problem and unfairly burdening farmers with responsibility that should be shared across society.
Recent Stormont proposals have raised real concern within the farming community, particularly coming so soon after a no-confidence vote in DAERA. Many farmers feel they are being asked to shoulder ever-greater responsibility, with insufficient clarity, consultation or confidence that their businesses will remain viable.
The Countryside Alliance is clear: environmental ambition must be matched with practical delivery. That means:
Meaningful engagement with farmers before decisions are made
Policies grounded in real farm economics, not theory
Adequate funding for environmental measures
Recognition of regional and sectoral differences
Farmers cannot be expected to absorb additional costs, reduce output, or change long-established practices without realistic support and time to adapt.
Additionally, despite the pressure they face, many farmers are already going above and beyond. Across Northern Ireland, farmers are restoring hedgerows and field margins, protecting watercourses, managing habitats for wildlife, and participating in agri-environment schemes.
Where schemes are well designed and properly funded, uptake has been strong, showing clearly that farmers want to be part of the solution when the approach is fair and workable.
If Stormont is serious about protecting nature, it must start by rebuilding trust with those who manage most of the countryside. That means moving away from blame and towards partnership.
The Countryside Alliance believes the best outcomes will come from:
Working with farmers, not against them
Valuing practical experience as much as policy expertise
Ensuring food production and environmental care go hand in hand
Supporting rural communities so they can continue to thrive
Farmers are not obstacles to environmental progress, they are essential allies. With the right support, respect and understanding, Northern Ireland’s countryside can remain productive, resilient and rich in wildlife for generations to come.
The Countryside Alliance will continue to stand up for farmers and rural communities, and to champion policies that protect both the environment and the people who care for it every day.