Personnel changes were mentioned in the Director’s report and described as “a lot of coming and going”.
At the meeting on 8 August Senior Veterinary Officer Zoe Fowler raised difficulties in finding vets who did not specialise in either large or small animals. She speculated the public health aspect to the role of a vet here put off people who might otherwise have applied.
However, there was better news on the search for someone to carry out wool coring. New Head of Agriculture Matt Davies said someone had finally been found.
Although there had been no “wash up” session at the end of Farmers’ Week, Director of Natural Resources Dr Andrea Clausen said the feedback from all the sessions was being collated.
MLA Roger Spink was deputising at the meeting and he asked a number of questions, including one about whether money spent on the Farm Improvement Programme was being spent in the right way. He wanted to know how the return from the spending is measured.
The head of agriculture said that a “thorough review” is overdue and he pointed to other issues that need to be looked at, including the impact of the requirement for matched funding from farmers.
Dr Clausen said the Farm Improvement Programme needed to be looked at in terms of the rural economy as a whole, not just farming.
The committee’s Terms of Reference were looked at, 20 years after they were first adopted.
It was agreed it is not the role of AAC to make decisions but to allow officers to gather information and carry out “active consultation”.
After some discussion, it was also agreed that, from standing invitations to future AAC meetings should be issued to the Head of Environment, the Managing Director of FIDC and the General Manager of FLH.
There will also be advertisements for a new lay member of the committee, as the term of one member comes to an end.
As well as updating the committee about the outcome of the previous days FIMCo board meeting, Dave Roberts was able to give the committee even more up to date information, about a new deal agreed later in the day.
Lay member Donna Minnell welcomed the plan for the coming export season saying the early start would give farmers more options.
Dave Roberts agreed that this might slightly increase the number of animals sent to the abattoir. He also confirmed to MLA Roger Spink an early start to the season would improve farmers’ cash flow.
