Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Andrew Muir has published his department’s seventh ‘Rural Needs Annual Monitoring Report’.
The Rural Needs Act (Northern Ireland) was introduced in 2016 to help deliver fairer outcomes for rural communities in Northern Ireland by ensuring their needs are given due regard by public authorities exercising legislative functions and allocating funding provisions.
The act applies to Northern Ireland government departments, district councils, and other public authorities.
According to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the report serves an integral part of the rural needs monitoring process by providing a formal record of all impact assessments undertaken by public authorities.
Rural Needs Annual Monitoring Report
The report detailed 502 rural needs impact assessments, including 165 undertaken by Northern Ireland government departments, 162 undertaken by local councils, and 175 undertaken by other public authorities.
The report consists of descriptions of every activity delivered by the public authorities subject to the act, with a further breakdown of the policy’s impact on rural communities and the strategy behind its design.
Reduction in rates support for grant funding, agriculture student fees amendment regulations, and the beef carbon reduction scheme regulations were among the policies accounted for by the report.
For instance, on generational renewal, specifically the ‘Farming for the Generations’ pilot scheme, the report highlighted the threat posed by an “ever-increasing age profile of farmers”, due to lower levels of innovation and entrepreneurship.
According to the report, the pilot scheme tested interventions to support succession and associated business planning for farm businesses and facilitated the ongoing development of the knowledge, capacity, and competency of those entering the agri-food industry.
On the topic of reducing compensation for cattle removed for bovine tuberculosis (TB), it stated that “the proposed policy would impact on people in rural areas, as it relates to changes to compensation paid to farmers for cattle which are compulsorily slaughtered for the control of TB”.
While both rural and remote rural areas share characteristics such as low population density and poor infrastructure, remote rural areas face additional challenges due to their geographical isolation and limited access to essential services.
Publishing the report, Minister Muir said: “Rural areas can face many challenges which contrast greatly with urban areas, such as risk of social isolation and difficulties in accessing services, including public transport services, mental health, and affordable childcare.
“It is therefore vital that public authorities consider these differences during the policymaking process to ensure an equitable outcome for those who live, work, visit, and operate businesses in our rural areas.”
The minister explained that such a report helps public authorities determine any potential barriers to the delivery of a fair and equitable outcome for rural communities and consider how these barriers can be mitigated or overcome, when authorities carry out their functions
“I remain committed to ensuring that the needs of rural communities continue to be considered for people living and working in rural areas, and DAERA, in partnership with other departments, has a pivotal role to play,” Minister Muir added.
Another important development during the period of the report was the launch of the ‘Rural Needs Toolkit for Health & Social Care’, designed to help those working in the health and social care sector to better address the needs of people in rural areas, which was also accounted for by the report.
