View source for Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

{{Short description|Northern Irish government department}}
{{Redirect|DARD}}
{{Distinguish|Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox government agency
| agency_name     = Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
| type            = Department
| logo            = [[File:DAERA Logo NI.svg|255px]]
| logo_width      = 200px
| logo_caption    =
| seal            =
| seal_width      =
| seal_caption    =
| formed          = June 1921 (as [[Minister of Agriculture for Northern Ireland|Ministry of Agriculture]])|
| preceding1      = [[Dublin Castle administration in Ireland|Dublin Castle administration]]
| dissolved       =
| superseding     =
| jurisdiction    = [[Northern Ireland]]
| headquarters    = [[Dundonald House]], Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 3SB
| employees       = 3,040 (March 2019)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/daera/daera-resource-accounts-2018-19-final.PDF |title=Annual Report & Resource Accounts |publisher=Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs |access-date=3 October 2019 }}</ref>
| budget          = £192.3 million (resource) & £291.8 million (capital) for 2018–19<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/daera/daera-resource-accounts-2018-19-final.PDF |title=Annual Report & Resource Accounts |publisher=Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs |access-date=3 October 2019 }}</ref>
| minister1_name  = [[Andrew Muir (politician)|Andrew Muir]]
| minister1_pfo   =
| chief1_name     = Katrina Godfrey<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/daera-permanent-secretary |access-date=9 May 2024 |title=DAERA Permanent Secretary|date=16 July 2015 }}</ref>
| chief1_position = Permanent Secretary
| chief2_name     =
| chief2_position =
| child1_agency   =
| website         = {{URL|https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/}}
| footnotes       =
}}
{{Politics of Northern Ireland}}
The '''Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs''' ('''DAERA'''; initials pronounced as 'Dare-aa') ([[Irish language|Irish]]: ''An Roinn Talmhaíochta, Comhshaoil agus Gnóthaí Tuaithe''; [[Ulster Scots dialect|Ulster Scots]]: ''Depairtment o' Fairmin, Environment an' Kintra Matthers'') is a government department in the [[Northern Ireland Executive]], the devolved administration for Northern Ireland.  The minister with overall responsibility for the department is the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. The department was called the ''Department of Agriculture and Rural Development'' between 1999 and 2016. The [[Minister of Agriculture (Northern Ireland)|Minister of Agriculture]] previously existed in the [[Government of Northern Ireland (1921–1972)|Government of Northern Ireland]] between 1921 and 1972, where the department was known as the ''Ministry of Agriculture''. The current Permanent Secretary is Katrina Godfrey.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-07-16 |title=DAERA Permanent Secretary {{!}} Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs |url=https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/daera-permanent-secretary |access-date=2024-05-09 |website=DAERA |language=en}}</ref>
==Responsibility==
The department has responsibility for food, farming, environmental, fisheries, forestry and sustainability policy, and the development of the rural sector in Northern Ireland.  It assists in the [[sustainable development]] of the agri-food, environmental, fishing and forestry sectors of the economy (having regard for the needs of the consumers, the protection of human, animal and plant health, the welfare of animals and the conservation and enhancement of the environment). It provides a business development service, a veterinary service and the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise, and is responsible to the UK Government's [[Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs]] (Defra) for the administration of schemes affecting the whole of the United Kingdom and also oversees the application of [[European Union]] agricultural, environmental, fisheries and rural development policy to Northern Ireland.<ref>{{cite web|title=About DAERA|url=https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/about-daera|website=www.daera-ni.gov.uk|date=3 July 2015|publisher=Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs|access-date=16 October 2017}}</ref> Its main counterpart in the [[Republic of Ireland]] is the [[Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine]].
The department has two ''executive agencies'' – the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and the Forest Service – and also sponsors five non-departmental public bodies – the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, the Agricultural Wages Board for Northern Ireland, the Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority, and the Drainage Council for Northern Ireland.<ref>{{cite book|title=Public Bodies Annual Report for Northern Ireland 2015/16|date=14 September 2017|publisher=Northern Ireland Executive|location=Belfast|page=15|url=https://www.executiveoffice-ni.gov.uk/publications/public-bodies-annual-report-northern-ireland-201516|access-date=17 October 2017}}</ref> The department's name is often abbreviated to DAERA and the following abbreviations are also used when describing and reporting on its responsibilities:
*AFBI – Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute
*AWB – Agricultural Wages Board for Northern Ireland
*CAFRE – College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise
*DARD – its main predecessor (the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development)
*DCAL – previous department (Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure)
*Defra – Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (UK)
*DoE – previous department (Department of the Environment)
*LMC – Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland
*NIEA – Northern Ireland Environment Agency
*NIFHA – Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority
DAERA is anecdotally known as the ''Department of Agriculture'' by many farmers and members of the public.  Agriculture (and [[Agricultural subsidy|agricultural subsidies]]) has a more significant in the [[Economy of Northern Ireland|Northern Ireland economy]] than in the overall [[Economy of the United Kingdom|UK economy]]; the structure of agriculture is more similar to the sector in the Republic of Ireland. The future of agriculture is a major local issue in [[Brexit]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Campbell|first1=John|title=Gove says NI farmers will get post-Brexit subsidies|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-40693483|website=www.bbc.co.uk/news|publisher=BBC|date=22 July 2017|access-date=16 October 2017}}</ref>
==History==
[[File:Dundonald House - 3724956 f8d69b20.jpg|thumb|left|Dundonald House, headquarters of DAERA.]]
As with the governance of Northern Ireland more generally, the history of the department and its predecessors can be divided into the following main periods:
*[[Dublin Castle administration]] (prior to 1921)
*Government of Northern Ireland (officially the [[Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Northern Ireland]], 1921–1972)
*[[Direct rule over Northern Ireland|direct rule]] administration by the [[United Kingdom Government]] (1972–1999)
*[[Northern Ireland Executive]] (1999–2017, with [[Direct rule over Northern Ireland|direct rule]] during suspensions)
*[[Northern Ireland Civil Service]] administration (in the absence of an Executive)
The ''Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction'' (DATI), established by [[Horace Plunkett|Sir Horace Plunkett]], was responsible for agricultural policy for the whole island of [[Ireland]] under the [[Dublin Castle administration]] from 1899 onwards. A separate ''[[Minister of Agriculture (Northern Ireland)|Ministry of Agriculture]]'' was established at the foundation of Northern Ireland in 1921, with [[Sir Edward Archdale, 1st Baronet|Sir Edward Archdale]] as its initial minister. The last Act of the [[Parliament of Northern Ireland]] was the [[Agriculture (Abolition of County Committees) Act (Northern Ireland) 1972]], which received [[royal assent]] on 28 March 1972.
The ministry was subsequently known as the ''Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland'' under [[Direct rule over Northern Ireland|direct rule]]; Northern Ireland was included in the [[Common Agricultural Policy]] (the CAP) from January 1973, when the UK joined the [[European Union]] (EU). An agricultural ministry with an [[Ulster Unionist Party]] (UUP) minister, [[Leslie Morrell]], was included in the cross-community [[Northern Ireland Executive (1974)|Northern Ireland Executive]] (the '[[Sunningdale Agreement|Sunningdale]] Executive') which was briefly established in 1974.
Following a [[1998 Northern Irish Belfast Agreement referendum|referendum]] on the [[Belfast Agreement]] in May 1998 and the granting of [[royal assent]] to the [[Northern Ireland Act 1998]] in November 1998, a [[Northern Ireland Assembly]] and [[Northern Ireland Executive]] were established by the [[Government of the United Kingdom|United Kingdom Government]]. The Department of Agriculture was renamed as the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) in December 1999 and granted a slightly reduced remit; responsibility for inland fisheries and waterways was transferred to the newly formed [[Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure]] (DCAL; pronounced as 'Dee-kaal'). Devolution was suspended for four periods, during which the department came under the responsibility of [[Direct rule over Northern Ireland|direct rule]] ministers from the [[Northern Ireland Office]] i.e. between 12 February 2000<ref>Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Commencement) Order 2000</ref> and 30 May 2000;<ref>Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) Order 2000</ref> on 11 August 2001;<ref>Article 1, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Suspension of Devolved Government) Order 2001</ref><ref>Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) Order 2001</ref> on 22 September 2001;<ref>Article 1, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Suspension of Devolved Government) (No.2) Order 2001</ref><ref>Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) (No.2) Order 2001</ref> and (most significantly) between 15 October 2002<ref>Article 1, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Suspension of Devolved Government) Order 2002</ref> and 8 May 2007.<ref>Article 2, Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Restoration of Devolved Government) Order 2007</ref> Devolution was restored in May 2007.
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) was established in May 2016, following a reduction in the number of government departments under the Fresh Start Agreement.  The main changes relating to its remit were as follows:
*the new department inherited the main functions of the former Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
*environmental regulation was transferred into its remit from the former Department of the Environment
*the Rivers Agency (responsible for rivers and flooding policy) was transferred to the new Department for Infrastructure
*inland fisheries was transferred back from DCAL (which had received that responsibility in 1999)
*DCAL was dissolved and inland waterways was transferred to the new Department for Communities<ref>{{cite web|title=Changes to government departments|url=https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/changes-government-departments|website=www.nidirect.gov.uk|date=13 November 2015|publisher=Northern Ireland Executive|access-date=16 October 2017}}</ref>
Devolution continued until all ministerial offices were vacated on 26 January 2017, due to a political dispute between the [[Democratic Unionist Party]] and [[Sinn Féin]].
== Ministers ==
Eight [[Minister of Agriculture (Northern Ireland)|Ministers of Agriculture]] held office between 1921 and 1972, starting with [[Sir Edward Archdale, 1st Baronet|Sir Edward Archdale]] and concluding with [[Harry West]]. During direct rule, ministers of the [[Northern Ireland Office]] were responsible for the department, including [[Jeff Rooker|Lord Rooker]] and [[David Cairns (politician)|David Cairns]].  The following table indicates Ministers of Agriculture and Rural Development (between 1999 and 2016 inclusive) and the subsequent Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|- bgcolor=cccccc
!  !!Minister!!Image!!Party!!Took office!!Left office
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic and Labour Party}}" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; || '''[[Bríd Rodgers]]''' || [[File:Rodgers33.jpg|60px]] ||{{party shortname|Social Democratic and Labour Party}}  || 29 November 1999||11 February 2000
|-
| colspan="6" align="center"| ''Office suspended''
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic and Labour Party}}" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; || '''[[Bríd Rodgers]]''' || [[File:Rodgers33.jpg|60px]] || {{party shortname|Social Democratic and Labour Party}}  || 30 May 2000||14 October 2002<ref>Office suspended for 24 hours on 11 August 2001 and 22 September 2001</ref>
|-
| colspan="6" align="center"| ''Office suspended''
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Sinn Féin}}" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
|| '''[[Michelle Gildernew]]''' ||[[File:Michelle Gildernew.jpg|60px]] ||{{party shortname|Sinn Féin}}  || 8 May 2007||4 May 2011
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Sinn Féin}}" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
|| '''[[Michelle O'Neill]]''' || [[File:MichelleOneill.jpg|60px]] ||{{party shortname|Sinn Féin}}  || 16 May 2011 || 30 March 2016
|-
| colspan="6" align="center"| Office renamed ''Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (08/05/2016)''
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Democratic Unionist Party}}" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
|| '''[[Michelle McIlveen]]''' || [[File:Michelle McIlveen DUP.jpg|60px]] ||{{party shortname|Democratic Unionist Party}}  || 25 May 2016 || 2 March 2017
|-
| colspan="6" align="center"| ''Office suspended''
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Democratic Unionist Party}}" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
|| '''[[Edwin Poots]]''' || [[File:Edwin Poots (cropped).jpg|60px]] || {{party shortname|Democratic Unionist Party}}  || 11 January 2020 || 2 February 2021
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Democratic Unionist Party}}" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
|| '''[[Gordon Lyons]]''' || [[File:Gordon Lyons 2021.jpg|60px]] || {{party shortname|Democratic Unionist Party}}  || 2 February 2021 || 8 March 2021
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Democratic Unionist Party}}" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
|| '''[[Edwin Poots]]''' || [[File:Edwin Poots (cropped).jpg|60px]] || {{party shortname|Democratic Unionist Party}}  || 8 March 2021 || 27 October 2022
|-
| colspan="6" align="center"| ''Office suspended''
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Alliance Party of Northern Ireland}}" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
|| '''[[Andrew Muir (politician)|Andrew Muir]]''' || [[File:Andrew Muir MLA.jpg|60px]] || {{party shortname|Alliance Party of Northern Ireland}}  || 3 February 2024 || Incumbent
|-
|}
==Finance==
The 2016–2017 [[Northern Ireland Executive]] budget<ref name="auto"/> allocated a £197.9 million resource budget to DAERA:
*£82.2 million for European programmes and agricultural education
*£44 million for animal welfare, agri-food, research and fisheries
*£37.3 million for the department's veterinary service
*£27.5 million for environmental funding
*£5.1 million for the Forest Service
*£1.8 million for the [[Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission]]
This represented a reduction from £209.8 million in the baseline budget i.e. the amount allocated for the work carried out by the previous departments with those responsibilities.
A further £48.8 million was allocated as capital expenditure:
*£18.3 million for European programmes and agricultural education
*£11.6 million for animal welfare, agri-food, research and fisheries
*£8.3 million for environmental funding
*£7.6 million for the veterinary service
*£2.7 million for the Forest Service
*£200,000 for the [[Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission]]
The Common Agricultural Policy allocated £250.9 million in payments to farmers in Northern Ireland in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|title=McIlveen announces record Basic Payment performance in December|url=https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/news/mcilveen-announces-record-basic-payment-performance-december|website=www.deara-ni.gov.uk|publisher=DAERA|access-date=16 October 2017|date=19 December 2016}}</ref>
==See also==
*[[Agriculture in the United Kingdom]]
*[[Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development]] (Northern Ireland Assembly)
*[[Floods directive]] (European Union policy)
*[[List of government ministers in Northern Ireland]]
*[[Rivers Agency]] (former responsibility)
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* [https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk DAERA]
* {{cite web|url= http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1999/uksi_19990283_en.pdf |title=The Departments (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 }}&nbsp;{{small|(37.0&nbsp;KB)}}
{{Northern Ireland Executive}}
{{Agriculture in the United Kingdom}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Department Of Agriculture And Rural Development}}
[[Category:Northern Ireland Executive]]
[[Category:Agriculture in Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:Fishing in Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:Subnational agriculture ministries|Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:Rural society in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1921 establishments in Northern Ireland]]