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Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson has said that Love Beef Week – an initiative by the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) to highlight Northern Ireland’s exceptional Farm Quality Assured (FQA) beef – reminds us how important it is to support local farmers by buying local produce first. Northern Ireland’s first Love Beef Week has been running from Monday and ends this Saturday (3rd November).

Mr Nicholson also called for more transparent and rigorous food labelling, which shows clearly where the origin of the produce is.

In a statement Mr Nicholson said,

“Over the past year I have been campaigning hard to get the European Commission to ban imports of Brazilian beef to the EU. Time and time again, it has been independently proven to be of a sub – standard nature. Cheap imports of food from South America and South East Asia, which are not produced to the highest of European standards, have done tremendous damage to the local beef and lamb industry.

“However, the Love Beef Week campaign, which has been running all week, provides all of us with a stark reminder of how important it is to support local farmers by purchasing local produce first.

“The long term interest of the agri – food industry is best served by Northern Ireland’s consumers demanding quality local produce. Buying local first strengthens the local economy and also helps the environment. When moving produce around the world we must consider how many food miles the produce has travelled and the environmental impact of moving produce such a large distance.

“To help consumers make an informed choice to buy local produce first, they need more rigorous and transparent food labelling. Inadequate and misleading labelling prevents consumers from being able to make that informed choice.

”In many cases food can be imported to Northern Ireland, processed here, and then labelled in a way that suggests it is genuinely British. This misleading practice must come to an end.”

Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson has launched a blistering attack on the First and Deputy First Minister this morning over their failure to secure a financial package for Northern Ireland.

Mr Nicholson was speaking as the Executive’s Programme for Government and budget was being presented to the Assembly. The UUP MEP has accused the DUP and Sinn Fein of brushing the issue under the carpet.

In a statement Mr Nicholson said,

“Today’s announcements in the Assembly on the budget and the Executive’s programme for Government have reminded people of the DUP and Sinn Fein’s utter failure to secure a financial package for Northern Ireland.

“During March’s Assembly election campaign both the DUP and Sinn Fein made great noise about the need for a financial package from the Treasury to underpin any return to devolution in Northern Ireland. It was a make or break issue for the First Minister who even threatened that he wouldn’t consider entering an Executive until he got a financial package from the Treasury.

“Instead of explaining to the people of Northern Ireland why they haven’t delivered the DUP and Sinn Fein have conveniently tried to brush the whole issue under the carpet. It is almost 6 months since devolution was restored and yet the mysterious financial package talked about so loudly by the DUP and Sinn Fein during the Assembly election campaign remains beyond the grasp of these politicians.

“From my perspective in Europe I still remain deeply sceptical of the First and Deputy First Minister’s commitment to engaging with Brussels in financial terms.

“After decades of the Troubles and years of underinvestment in our infrastructure, Northern Ireland needs and deserves an economic package from the Treasury that will enable a new Executive to invest in growth, innovation and enterprise.”

Ulster Unionist Member of the European Parliament Jim Nicholson MEP has said the Prime Minister’s refusal to hold a referendum on the EU Treaty agreed last night at a meeting of EU Leaders in Lisbon is an affront to democracy.

The Treaty of Lisbon will be signed by EU Leaders on December 13th in Lisbon.

In a statement Mr Nicholson said,

“The new EU Treaty will have a profound effect on the way the UK is governed taking further powers away from Member States and it is nothing less than an affront to democracy that the Prime Minister will not allow the British people to have their say on it.

“The new EU Treaty contains more than 90% of the original constitution that was rejected in 2005 by the French and Dutch voters. The name may have changed but the substance is still the same.

“No – one disagrees with the need for fundamental reform in the EU so that it can become more accountable, transparent and more responsive to people’s needs but this is not the answer.

“At a time when public confidence and belief in the work of the EU is at an all time low the Prime Minister should be encouraging people in Northern Ireland and all across the UK to debate the future direction of the EU, not stifling discussion and attempting to bring the constitution in through the back door.”

Ulster Unionist Member of the European Parliament, Jim Nicholson MEP has along with other colleagues in the European Parliament tabled a motion for resolution in the European Parliament on rising animal feed prices.

Mr Nicholson has expressed serious concern in recent months about rising animal feed prices and the impact it is having on some parts of the agricultural industry in Northern Ireland. The motion will be debated next Tuesday in the European Parliament.

In a statement Mr Nicholson said,

“In recent months rising animal feed prices have had a devastating impact on many farmers. The world grain supply has been affected by severe weather conditions, notably droughts and floods in parts of Europe and severe droughts in Australia. Australia, for example, is experiencing its worst drought since records began in 1900.

“Alongside this is the increase in use of grain for biofuels and an increase in consumption in South East Asia. These events have caused a sharp rise in the global price of grain.

“Retail food prices have not kept up with the cost of living and farmgate prices have failed to keep with retail prices. Consumers are also the victims of the market instability and the increasing prices for food giving the mistaken impression that it is the farmers who are responsible. Farmers can not continue to absorb rising costs any longer.

“Europe must address concerns about food insecurity in a meaningful way and as part of the CAP Health Check undertake an in-depth analysis of world market trends, including the increased demand for food in developing countries, in order to consider, as part of the CAP Health Check, the creation of permanent mechanisms to guarantee an adequate market supply in the future.”

Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson, in a keynote address at a major dairy conference organised by the Irish Farmer’s Union in County Monaghan, told delegates that food and energy security would be the two major challenges facing Europe in the years ahead.

Speaking at the event Mr Nicholson said,

“Rising animal feed prices, as many of you will know, have shone the spotlight on the issue of food security for the first time in Europe since the Second World War. This issue has impacted upon many farmers in Northern Ireland. The milk lakes and Butter Mountains have all disappeared and what we are left facing now is an issue over the security of the food supply in Europe.

“Recent disputes have proven that Europe can no longer depend on or trust Russia to supply Europe’s gas and as such we must become more self reliant in this area. This will mean more diversification into alternative energy sources and a heavier reliance on new technologies and renewables. As many of you will be aware the biofuels market presents many new opportunities for the farmer, if European Governments are prepared to put the money into the research and development of this area.”

Turning to the dairy industry Mr Nicholson said,

“The upcoming CAP Health Check will pave the way for an ending of milk quotas in 2015 but this must be properly controlled and managed to give a soft landing for the industry. Over the next 12 months price levels should hold steady but it will depend on global market prices being maintained.

“At the present moment the most important thing of all is that demand is outstripping supply and I hope farmers bear this in mind – namely that they would be better off producing 10% less milk but receiving 20% more. I do hope this change will not result in rapid expansion in the Industry.

“The future developments in the World Trade Organisation talks will also bring extra pressure to bear on the industry. I believe that what our farmers and consumers need is clear labelling of origin so that consumers have a guarantee that they are buying food produced to the highest of European standards. It its time to move this issue forward.”

The European Commission has announced today that it is taking legal action against the United Kingdom for not complying fully with judgements issued by the European Court of Justice in two separate cases.

One of those cases involves the Treatment of urban waste water in seven UK towns, four of which are in Northern Ireland. The European Commission has accused the UK of failing to fully abide by a European Court of Justice January 2007 ruling on the Urban Wastewater Directive.

Portrush, Coleraine, Bangor and Donaghadee have all been highlighted by the European Commission for failing to comply with the Directive.

The European Commission has initiated the first part of formal legal proceedings against the UK Government by sending the UK a first written warning.

Commenting on the Commission’s decision to initiate legal proceedings against the UK Government, Ulster Unionist Member of the European Parliament Jim Nicholson MEP said that the situation was indicative of the problems facing the new Executive at Stormont in the area of waste management.

Speaking from Brussels Mr Nicholson said,

“Clearly today’s decision is not good news for Northern Ireland and I would urge the Executive to move urgently to address the problems highlighted by the European Commission.

“The problems with our sewage system and wastewater infrastructure can be attributed to thirty years of neglect by successive Direct Rule administrations and to the Troubles. Over the years when we should have been investing in upgrading our sewage infrastructure the Government was instead putting money into rebuilding our towns and villages, many of which were blown apart by terrorist violence.

“This situation also serves to highlight why the Northern Ireland Executive should be seeking to obtain further financial assistance from Brussels.”

Following publication of the Northern Ireland red meat industry taskforce report today, Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson has reiterated his call for imports of Brazilian beef to the EU to be banned immediately.

In a statement Mr Nicholson said,

“I welcome the publication of this report today and any action taken by key stakeholders within the agriculture industry to ensure the sustainability of our beef and lamb farmers. However, many farmers will know that we have been down this road before with many false starts and dawns over the years. What our farmers need to see now is delivery on the issues raised by this report.

“Many of the findings contained in this report prove, once again, the need for the European Commission to take urgent steps to ban imports of Brazilian beef to the EU because, time after time, it has been proven to be of a sub – standard nature.

“Northern Ireland’s farmers must comply with the high standards laid down by the EU in terms of health, food safety and traceability so why shouldn’t imports coming into the EU from other countries do the same? The reality is that if Brazilian beef imports are continued to be allowed into the EU then more and more farmers in Northern Ireland and across Europe risk being put out of business. With the cost of production rising, it is hard to see how our farmers can compete with these cheap imports.”

Ulster Unionist Member of the European Parliament Jim Nicholson MEP has called today for members of the public to be able to refer complaints they have about Government departments, government agencies and local government directly to the Northern Ireland ombudsman without having to have their case referred by a member of Northern Ireland Assembly.

Mr Nicholson said that cutting out the middle man would make the ombudsman’s office more accessible to the general public and help to create more accountable and transparent government.

In an interview in a Belfast newspaper last week, the Northern Ireland ombudsman, Tom Frawley said that important changes could soon be on the agenda for the office, which would bring it, closer to the people.

In a statement Mr Nicholson said,

“Recently I was contacted by a constituent, who having exhausted the complaints process, wanted to complain to the Ombudsman in Northern Ireland about the conduct of a Government Department. When I began the process for my constituent I soon discovered that as an MEP I was not able to refer the case to the ombudsman on behalf of my constituent. It had to be an MLA.

“The fact that members of the public who want to complain about Government must have their case referred by an MLA creates an unnecessary hurdle and slows the entire process down.

“Surely, in the interests of accountable and transparent Government it would be better for members of the public to go straight to the ombudsman themselves therefore cutting out the middle man.

“This is entirely consistent with practice in other devolved regions of the UK. The people of Scotland and Wales can complain directly to the ombudsman without it being referred by a Member of the Scottish Parliament or Welsh Assembly.

“I would like to see the First Minister, as a matter of urgency, initiate a review of the workings of the Ombudsman’s office to see where changes to its operation could be made.”

Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson has welcomed the decision by the European Parliament and EU agriculture Ministers to have a zero set-aside rate in 2008.

The decision means that farmers across the European Union will no longer be forced to keep a significant part of their land out of production and according to Jim Nicholson will help to relieve some of the pressures on Northern Ireland’s farmers and allay fears over food shortages.

Speaking from Strasbourg Mr Nicholson said,

“Following recent concerns over soaring animal feed prices I am glad to see that this measure has passed through the European Parliament and approved by EU farm Ministers. Cereal levels are now at dangerously low levels prompting fears that we could be facing food shortages over the coming months.

“This decision should be the first step in the total abolition of the EU’s set aside policy. Set-aside is an out of date policy that should have been abolished during the previous reforms to the CAP. The benefits to the environment that came from the original scheme are now covered, to a large extent, by rural development schemes and cross compliance.

“Abolishing set-aside will enable farmers to respond to the market, will keep food prices down and will help alleviate Europe’s growing food security problems.”

Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson has confirmed today that he has demanded an urgent meeting with EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel to discuss soaring animal feed prices, which according to the UUP MEP is having a “devastating impact” on Northern Ireland’s agricultural industry.

Mr Nicholson will be accompanied by representatives from the Northern Ireland Grain Trade Association.

In a statement Mr Nicholson said,

“The massive increases in cereal prices we have witnessed over the last few months is something that none of us can escape. It is having a crippling affect on our agricultural industry and as I have warned before has the potential to put many of our farmers out of business.

“I believe this is an issue that requires action from the European Commission, especially because their zero tolerance approach to GMO produced grain is simply compounding matters further. Events on the global stage and at a local level are conspiring against the farming industry in Northern Ireland. The poor weather and flooding during the summer coupled with drought in some of the Southern Hemisphere countries and an increase in demand from the bio fuel sector are driving feed prices through the roof.

“Supermarkets must begin to reflect these increased production costs in the price of their food. Farmers can not continue to absorb rising costs any longer. There are some changing and really challenging times ahead, both for the farming industry and consumers.

“What this situation proves again is the need for the creation of a regulatory framework that would promote a fair relationship between producers, processors and the supermarket chains. For a long time there has been an undeniable need for the producer to receive a fairer reward for his produce. I see something inherently wrong with a market that repeatedly shows falling returns to farmers but consistently shows rising returns to processors and retailers and I hope that the Competition Commission’s investigation into unfair practices brings some relief for producers on this matter.

“I will repeat again that the next 10 to 15 years will see a real issue over food security in Europe. Over the past number of years or so we have been used to low food prices and the availability of an abundance of food within the EU but now that the butter and milk mountains have melted away it is a different story.”