The Minister for the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), Andrew Muir, has announced that legacy assets from the Residual Milk Marketing Board (RMMB) will be released to the Dairy Council NI.
Following the dissolution of the RMMB in 2004, all assets, amounting to £76,882.60 (approx. €92,586) were transferred to the then Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD).
Legislation stipulated that the legacy assets must be transferred to an organisation connected with milk production in Northern Ireland, or to relevant people engaged in milk production in Northern Ireland.
The department launched a targeted consultation to seek views on how best to dispose of the assets, with organisations that represent the interests of dairy producers on August 13, 2024.
The consultation ran until October 8, 2024. The department said it considered all consultation responses received and confirmed that the assets will be released to Dairy Council NI.
Minister Muir said: “I would like to thank all stakeholders who responded to the consultation and for making their views known on how best to distribute the legacy assets of the Residual Milk Marketing Board.
“I am delighted to announce that my department will be releasing the legacy funds to the Dairy Council for Northern Ireland. I hope that the funds will prove useful towards promoting the importance of dairy providing good nutrition in schools,” he concluded.
DAERA
Last week, DAERA launched a new knowledge transfer initiative in Northern Ireland to help guide and support farm businesses.
The new CAFRE ‘Supporting Agri-Professionals’ Programme is part of the Sustainable Agriculture Programme (SAP) and will focus on professional development, technical expertise, and practical support aimed at equipping industry professionals.
Speaking at the launch event at CAFRE’s Loughry Campus, Minister Muir said the Knowledge Transfer Programme for agri-professionals will “support” the objective of communicating messages on key DAERA policy areas.
