Speaking after the visit, Carla Lockhart said:

“Firstly, I want to thank Sir Robert for his ongoing interest in Northern Ireland, and for his willingness to accept my invitation to engage with the local agri-food and fisheries industries.

As Chair of the EFRA Committee, Sir Robert holds a position of great influence within the corridors of Westminster, with the ear of the Government. I believe it is essential that key people within Westminster engage with our local industry, and are fully aware of the challenges faced, the needs of the various sectors, but also the innovation and success enjoyed within our agri-food and fishing industries. Westminster continues to hold a great deal of influence over the direction of policy, and funding rolling out from those policies, so it is vital to champion our cause. I am determined to do this.

My thanks go to the various hosts who met with Sir Robert. To Alan McCulla of ANIFPO/Sea-Source in Kilkeel, for his showcasing of our resilient and ambitious fisheries industry, and the plans for significant capital investment in our harbour capacity. We also took the opportunity to hear directly from our farmers at the UFU County Roadshow in Armagh, offering Sir Robert a first hand opportunity to hear from those on the ground in the agriculture industry as well as the UFU Leadership team.

Our agri-engineering industry continues to lead in terms of innovation and I was delighted to bring Sir Robert to meet with Garth Cairns and the team at Slurrykat to discuss research and innovation, challenges in terms of trade and supply, and how the industry here continues to grow. We rounded off the visit with a farm visit to the dairy unit at the Matthews farm in Donaghcloney.

This was a hugely informative engagement and certainly Sir Robert returns to Westminster fully informed of the priorities of our industry. I will continue my ongoing engagement with him, and DEFRA, as we seek to shape policy in support of Northern Ireland’s farming and fishing industries.”