00:00 Thank you very much, David. I want to say it's great to be here. I initially indicated
00:12 my intention to attend this before I became a minister. I must say I'm so really delighted
00:17 to be here as Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. And before I say a few
00:22 things, I want to say thank you to the Ulster Farmers Union for the kindness and support
00:27 they've been offering me over the last number of weeks, the fair daring and also the willingness
00:31 to work in partnership together. And I believe there's so much we can achieve together as
00:36 a department and the Ulster Farmers Union. I fully recognise that the family farm and
00:41 the farm family constitute the backbone of our industry here in Northern Ireland. In
00:46 the last few weeks, I've had the privilege to get out and about visiting James Brown's
00:51 dairy farm in Ballywalter last week and then the week before, Roy Little's farm in Newton
00:57 Ours, showcasing what's best about our horticulture sector here in Northern Ireland. In that context,
01:03 I strongly feel it's only right that we should today celebrate and recognise the huge contribution
01:09 farming families make to social fabric in rural areas, as well as the economic engine
01:14 for both the rural economy and Northern Ireland as a whole. Many of our rural communities
01:19 depend on family farms to maintain the economic and social viability of other rural businesses
01:26 and services, be that the local grocery shop, the local builder, the agricultural merchant
01:31 or the machinery dealer. Our farming families provide the lifeblood of our rural primary
01:37 and post-primary schools. Teachers will often describe the positive influence students from
01:42 farming and country backgrounds have in their schools. Education and training have always
01:48 been valued by farming families and this continues here today. My department will continue to
01:54 provide opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds within the industry to develop
01:59 themselves through further and higher education provision and bespoke training programmes.
02:06 Over the generations, farm families in the past have shown great resilience facing significant
02:12 challenges head on. The challenges faced ahead will be of similar enormity but will
02:19 be overcome. We also must remember that there's opportunities ahead. It is vitally important
02:25 that we try to preserve the legacy of those who have gone before us and we continue to
02:29 build upon the heritage of the family farm. Please be assured that as Minister, I will
02:35 play my role in relation to this. I commit to direct my department to bring forward an
02:41 innovative programme of work to help the industry navigate the road ahead. I'm particularly
02:46 keen on the farming for the generations pilot scheme in terms of addressing issues around
02:52 succession. I also intend to explore more ways to encourage more young people into the
02:58 industry. I'm already enjoying working with a range of stakeholders and determined to
03:04 forge a strong partnership approach and I genuinely mean that. As we chart our way forward
03:10 through critically important issues such as environmental protection, food security, animal
03:16 health and animal welfare to name but a few. And I would say we've got so much more in
03:22 common around these issues that we can achieve so much. The contribution from the family
03:26 farm has been central to the work we do together over the time ahead. To sum up, I warmly congratulate
03:33 and thank the Ulster Farmers Union in organising this fantastic event. Today celebrates the
03:39 foundation stone of our agri-food industry which is the family farm. It is an aspect
03:44 of our industry which should be rightly celebrated. Thank you David and everyone else from the
03:49 Ulster Farmers Union for the opportunity to come here and I look forward to catching up
03:53 with members this afternoon. Thank you.
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