Sinn Féin MLA Declan McAleer said today his party will continue to stand up for family farms and he called on the DUP Agriculture Minister to scrap plans which would put thousands of family farms out of business.

Declan McAleer was speaking after Edwin Poots’ decision to roll back on his plan to change the minimum claim size for single farm payments from his original proposal of 10 hectares down to 5 hectares.

Declan McAleer said:

”This is a welcome step but the Minister should have gone further. Sinn Féin proposed to keep the minimum claim size to 3 hectares to better support small family farmers. 

”Sinn Féin will continue to stand up for family farms and will call on an incoming agriculture minister to scrap plans to change the minimum claim size. 

”Rather than engaging in stunt politics, the DUP should commit to working with the rest of us in a restored Executive so that we can better support hard pressed farming families.”