Allister deplores Gildernew's decision on LMC
22 January 2011
TUV Leader Jim Allister has expressed disappointment that after 18 months of review the DARD Minister has baulked at making the changes necessary to convert the Livestock Marketing Commission into a vibrant and delivering commercial organisation.
“The external review favoured commercialisation, but the Minister has backed off, leaving the LMC unable to fully deliver on the promotion of NI produce because of the restraints flowing from its non-departmental public body (NDPB) status. Proper commercialisation would have freed it up from many of these EU constraints. By refusing to go down this road this is a missed opportunity and, in effect, 18 months of expensive review and production of a business plan have been wasted.
“A week after the Minister announced that she could find £13m to build a brand new headquarters for DARD, I am appalled that she says she can’t afford the £5m necessary to transform the LMC for the long-term good of our struggling red meat sector. Sadly, this is a Minister whose priorities are badly out of alignment with the needs of the farming community.
“I fear the limited, but unspecified, changes spoken of by the Minister within the existing LMC framework will be largely cosmetic and of no lasting effect in terms of delivering what the red meat sector needs.”
