Author: Kate Livingston

Alliance MLA John Blair has said the proposed culling of badgers, as part of a strategy to eradicate bovine tuberculosis from Northern Ireland, is “morally indefensible”.

He was speaking after the launch of a consultation into the strategy by the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. Mr Blair said whilst he was supportive of many of the measures proposed by DAERA to combat the disease, he would strongly oppose intensive badger culling, which would lead to the destruction of protected wildlife on an unprecedented scale.

“I recognise the challenges and costs faced by local farms affected by and tackling bTB, and an effective strategy to eradicate the disease is absolutely vital for the sector,” said the South Antrim MLA.

“There is, however, no justification for an indiscriminate cull of badgers in Northern Ireland and I am disappointed more ethical alternatives, such as badger vaccination and ‘test, vaccinate or remove’ approaches have not been proposed.

“I will continue to raise questions with the Department, scrutinise their approach to the bTB eradication and will be responding to the consultation. I urge those who care about the welfare of animals to do the same and make their views known.”

Alliance MLA John Blair has said an AERA committee report into the removal of staff at Larne Port has shown serious inconsistencies in the actions of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.

Mr Blair was speaking after the Committee report was published on Friday, adding the decision to remove staff without a clear readout from the PSNI of the situation and the move to share a contentious letter with only DUP representatives should give officers at Mid and East Antrim Borough Council pause for reflection on how they would choose to act in the future.

He added: “This is a timely reminder of the need for full openness and transparency, accountability and always following due process at all levels of government.

“Clearly any and all threat to staff must be taken seriously, but this also must be balanced with the PSNI assessment and recommendation and on this occasion this simply didn’t happen. I would urge MEA to think on this and provide a full explanation to the staff involved for the undue stress they suffered.

“But what is also concerning is the decision by senior officials to brief only the DUP when it came to writing a significant political letter to the Cabinet Office, which only came to light when subsequent Freedom of Information requests where published.

“Despite the Chief Executive’s attempts to keep this letter ‘confidential’, this automatically put all other elected representatives on an unequal footing, as they failed to be part of the exclusive club the Chief Executive sought to brief on February 1, including around 10 DUP MLAs, MPs and Councillors – including the former Mayor despite his claims never to have seen it.

“It is vital that MEA Council and SOLACE, brought into Inquiry considerations by the Chief Executive, discuss this report as soon as possible and in the interests of openness and transparency I would urge the Chief Executive not to restrict this debate. Bias has been shown towards one political party and others deserve to have their questions on this addressed.”

Alliance MLA John Blair MLA has welcomed the launch of a consultation on proposals to protect service animals whilst on active duty.

Mr Blair, Chair of the Assembly’s All-Party Group on Animal Welfare, said the animals carried out invaluable work putting them in unpredictable and often dangerous situations.

“The service animals play an essential role in keeping police officers, who protect us, safe from harm,” said the South Antrim MLA, who is also a member of the Policing Board.

“I welcome the launch of the consultation on outstanding legislation to recognise the contribution of service animal and to adequately protect them in law. This consultation is a vital step towards bringing the law in Northern Ireland in line with other jurisdictions in the UK and will act as a serious deterrent to those who think they can cause injury or death to service animals without repercussion.

“I would encourage anyone with an interest in the matter to participate in the consultation.”

Alliance Environment spokesperson John Blair MLA has welcomed the launch of a public consultation on the draft Northern Ireland Peatland Strategy 2021-2040.

Peatlands are among the most valuable ecosystems on Earth, yet our peatlands remain under threat. Locally, they face pressures such as overgrazing, drainage and burning, causing damage to 86 per cent of them. The result is many of our peatlands are now net emitters of greenhouse gases and only 14 per cent deemed intact in Northern Ireland.

“Investing in peatland restoration is critical. If we are serious about a green recovery and if we are to meet UK net zero commitments, large-scale investment in peatland restoration is essential,” said Mr Blair.

“Restoring our peatlands will require a collaborative approach involving government, landowners, land managers, public sector bodies and environmental protection stakeholders, supported by appropriate legislation and policies and with a robust funding mechanism in place.

“I would encourage everyone to engage in the consultation, which will shape policies and programmes aimed at protecting and enhancing our natural environment.”

The public consultation on the draft Northern Ireland Peatland Strategy 2021-2040 will be open for 12 weeks from June 9 until September 1 and is available on the DAERA website – https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/consultations/ni-peatland-strategy-consultation

Alliance MLA John Blair has said interventions should be carried out to tackle ‘rape myths’ throughout the justice system, including in policing.

The Policing Board member said incorrect beliefs about sexual crime impact upon policing, adding the police response to sexual assault reports and incidents should be regularly reviewed and assessed as a result. Mr Blair raised his concerns with the handling of serious sexual offences with Justice Minister Naomi Long in the Assembly yesterday (Tuesday).

“Significant work is required to dispel rape myths which can affect an officer’s approach to the victims and perpetrators they work with,” he said.

“Wrongly held beliefs should not be allowed to impact reactions from anyone in the justice system, including police, in cases of serious sexual assault. Assumptions such as wearing particular clothing or consuming alcohol are inexcusable in all circumstances. The same is true of other factors, such as the relationship between the victim and the perpetrator, or how/whether the victim resisted the attack.

“I welcome the Minister’s response yesterday and in my capacity as a Policing Board member, I will work hard to ensure interventions are carried out to tackle ‘rape myths’ in the policing. We have lots of work still to do but it is vital we make progress in this area.”