A new initiative, Farm Family Day, is to be held in Northern Ireland (NI) on February 26 each year, following the first ever event on Monday held at Parliament Buildings, Stormont.

The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), which is behind the initiative, said the first ever NI Farm Family Day proved critical in raising awareness of rural families who produce one of the most essential necessities of life – nutritious food.

To mark the occasion, the UFU hosted the event at Stormont with DAERA Minister Andrew Muir.

Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee Chair, Tom Elliott, and local MLAs were in attendance to hear firsthand from farmers.

They gained an insight into the work that is ongoing on farms across NI, the team effort behind it and the issues that farm families are managing – sometimes without support.

UFU President David Brown said: “We were delighted to have the DAERA Minister, AERA Committee Chair and so many MLAs at our event at Stormont, in support of NI Farm Family Day, a new annual initiative to recognise and celebrate the people behind the produce.

“Here in NI, we have a unique farm family structure, but we often fail to recognise that these local families put everything into their work as food producers so that shop shelves remain full and varied, and we can all eat what we want, when we want.

“NI farmers feed more than 10 million people; we look after the environment, support local communities, provide jobs, boost tourism – it is truly incredible to be part of that, but of course, it is challenging.

“Everyone needs support, especially when times are difficult, and farm families are no different.

“We have come through another testing year with high input costs, falling farmgate prices, devastating weather events and TB continues to cause devastation.

“Some of these issues make the headlines more than others, but what doesn’t come through enough, is that behind every farm is a family with bills to pay and mouths to feed.

“Like any business, a farm needs to be viable to be sustainable, and the impact of that will ripple into wider society.

“Investing in our farming and growing sector is essential for productivity, job creation, and economic and environmental delivery – critical elements that translate into a prosperous future for the next generation.”

DAERA Minister Andrew Muir said: “I am delighted to celebrate and recognise the huge contribution farming families make to the social fabric of rural areas, putting food on our tables, as well as being the economic engine for both the rural economy and Northern Ireland as a whole.

“The family farm is the foundation upon which our very successful agri-food industry is built.

“Farming families have for generations been resilient through change and also responsive to change.

“The issues we face now and in the coming years will also require these qualities to successfully navigate our way through new challenges.

“My Department will work with stakeholders, including the UFU, to bring forward a co-designed programme which will help support and develop family farms to address the significant issues the industry must tackle, going forward.”

Ulster Unionist Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs spokesperson Tom Elliott said: “Family farming has been the backbone of agriculture within Northern Ireland.

“Locally produced food is of the highest quality, a main reason being that farming families work together as a business unit and take ownership of their production methods with the view that what they produce, they are confident of consuming themselves, therefore its quality is good for everyone.”