Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

Department overview
Formed	June 1921 (as Ministry of Agriculture)
Preceding Department	Dublin Castle administration
Jurisdiction	Northern Ireland
Headquarters	Dundonald House, Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 3SB
Employees	3,040 (March 2019)
Annual budget	£192.3 million (resource) & £291.8 million (capital) for 2018–19
Minister responsible	Vacant

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) is a government department in Northern Ireland. It's part of the government that runs Northern Ireland, called the Northern Ireland Executive. The person in charge of DAERA is called the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.

Before 2016, this department was known as the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Even earlier, from 1921 to 1972, it was called the Ministry of Agriculture. The main office for DAERA is in a building called Dundonald House in Belfast.

What DAERA Does

DAERA has many important jobs. It looks after policies for:

• food
• farming
• the environment
• fishing
• forests
• making sure things are done in a way that can last for a long time (this is called sustainable development)

DAERA also helps develop the countryside areas of Northern Ireland. It works to make sure that farming, food production, fishing, and forestry grow in a good way. They also think about what people who buy food need. A big part of their job is protecting the health of people, animals, and plants. They also care about animal welfare and keeping the environment healthy and beautiful.

The department offers services to help businesses grow. It also has a special veterinary service for animals. Plus, it runs a college called the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE). DAERA also works with the UK Government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). This is for things that affect the whole United Kingdom. They also help apply rules from the European Union about farming, environment, fishing, and rural development in Northern Ireland.

Teams that Help DAERA

DAERA has special teams that help them do their work. These include:

• The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA)
• The Forest Service

They also support other groups that help with specific tasks:

• Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI)
• Agricultural Wages Board for Northern Ireland (AWB)
• Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland (LMC)
• Northern Ireland Fishery Harbour Authority (NIFHA)
• Drainage Council for Northern Ireland

Many farmers and people in Northern Ireland often just call DAERA the "Department of Agriculture." Farming and the money farmers receive are very important to Northern Ireland's economy. This is even more true than in the rest of the UK. The way farming is set up in Northern Ireland is quite similar to how it is in the Republic of Ireland. The future of farming is a big topic in Northern Ireland, especially because of Brexit.

DAERA's History

Dundonald House, the main office for DAERA.

The history of DAERA and its earlier versions can be split into a few main time periods:

• Before 1921: When Ireland was ruled from Dublin Castle.
• 1921–1972: When Northern Ireland had its own government.
• 1972–1999: When the UK Government directly ruled Northern Ireland.
• 1999–2017: When Northern Ireland had its own government again (the Northern Ireland Executive). There were also times during this period when the UK Government took over again.
• After 2017: When the Northern Ireland Civil Service ran things because there was no Executive.

A department called the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instruction (DATI) was set up in 1899. It looked after farming for all of Ireland. When Northern Ireland was formed in 1921, a separate Ministry of Agriculture was created. Sir Edward Archdale was its first minister.

Later, during the time of direct rule, it was known as the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland. From 1973, when the UK joined the European Union, Northern Ireland was included in the Common Agricultural Policy. This policy set rules and gave money for farming across Europe.

After a special vote in 1998, the Northern Ireland Assembly and Northern Ireland Executive were set up. In December 1999, the Department of Agriculture was renamed the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD). Some of its jobs changed. For example, looking after inland fishing and waterways moved to a new department.

There were times when the Northern Ireland government was paused. During these times, UK government ministers took over running the department. This happened several times, most notably from October 2002 to May 2007. The Northern Ireland government started working again in May 2007.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) was created in May 2016. This happened because the number of government departments was reduced. DAERA took over most of the jobs from the old Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. It also took on environmental rules from another old department. Some jobs, like managing rivers and flooding, moved to a new Department for Infrastructure. Inland fishing came back to DAERA.

The Northern Ireland government stopped working again on January 26, 2017, due to a political disagreement.

Ministers in Charge

A "Minister" is the person chosen to lead a government department. They are responsible for making decisions and overseeing the work of that department.

Eight Ministers of Agriculture were in charge between 1921 and 1972. During the times of direct rule, ministers from the UK government were responsible for the department.

The table below shows the Ministers who led the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) and later the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).

	Minister	Image	Party	Took office	Left office
	Bríd Rodgers		SDLP	29 November 1999	11 February 2000
Office suspended
	Bríd Rodgers		SDLP	30 May 2000	14 October 2002
Office suspended
	Michelle Gildernew		Sinn Féin	8 May 2007	4 May 2011
	Michelle O'Neill		Sinn Féin	16 May 2011	30 March 2016
Office renamed Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
	Michelle McIlveen		DUP	25 May 2016	2 March 2017
Office suspended
	Edwin Poots		DUP	11 January 2020	2 February 2021
	Gordon Lyons		DUP	2 February 2021	8 March 2021
	Edwin Poots		DUP	8 March 2021	27 October 2022

How DAERA is Funded

The Northern Ireland Executive sets a budget for DAERA each year. In 2016–2017, DAERA was given £197.9 million for its daily running costs (called a "resource budget"). This money was used for:

• £82.2 million for European programs and education about farming.
• £44 million for animal welfare, food and farming research, and fisheries.
• £37.3 million for the department's veterinary service.
• £27.5 million for protecting the environment.
• £5.1 million for the Forest Service.
• £1.8 million for the Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission.

This was a bit less than the money given to the departments that did these jobs before DAERA was formed.

DAERA also received £48.8 million for bigger projects and investments (called "capital expenditure"). This money was spent on:

• £18.3 million for European programs and farming education.
• £11.6 million for animal welfare, food and farming research, and fisheries.
• £8.3 million for environmental projects.
• £7.6 million for the veterinary service.
• £2.7 million for the Forest Service.
• £200,000 for the Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission.

In 2016, the Common Agricultural Policy also gave £250.9 million directly to farmers in Northern Ireland.

See also

• 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)