A Co. Armagh farmer believes that reform proposals in farm support for Northern Ireland (NI) will destroy the entire fabric of rural areas.

Last month, NI agriculture minister, Edwin Poots, proposed a radical shake up of the subsidies that will be available to agriculture in Northern Ireland beyond 2023.

This includes a provision to raise the minimum area eligibility threshold for a new ‘safety net’ payment up to 10ha. Currently, farmers in Northern Ireland are eligible to receive the basic payment if they own or lease a minimum of 3ha.

Terry Hearty farms near Crossmaglen in Co. Armagh. He believes that the implementation of the enhanced area threshold will force 75% of his neighbouring farmers off the land.

“This specific proposal, if implemented, sounds the death knell for small farmers,” he told Agriland.

“Under those circumstances they will have no option but to give farming up altogether," he added.

But according to Hearty, the loss of subsidy opens the door to a host of other problems that will then confront small farms.

He explained: “The loss of farm business numbers will follow. In turn this will mean that small farmers will not be allowed to build homes for their children on their own land.

Hearty is astonished that Poots’ proposal has received so little attention up to this point.

“Such an increase will remove one of the few safety nets that smallholding farmers have and leave thousands of us open to bankruptcy.”

According to Hearty, the mental health of farmers will also be affected.“For many smallholdings farmers, having a bit of land and a few cattle isn't about making money, it's as much a cultural and social enterprise as an economic one,” he explained.

"It keeps the mind and the body active; it's something to talk about in the pubs; it's a chance to socialise at the mart. To take this away is to condemn them to isolation, depression and worse.

"I'm astonished that Minister Poots has concocted such a barefaced plan to run the small farmers out of rural Ireland and appalled that the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, or DAERA, is allowing him to do it.”The consultation is on the DAERA website and closes on Tuesday, February 15, 2022.