Ulster farming minister back
Ulster farming minister back
THE Northern Ireland farming community welcomed back its own minister this week as devolution was restored to the province at midnight on Monday.
The Northern Ireland peace process got back on the road following a narrow vote by the Ulster Unionist Party to re-enter the power sharing executive at Stormont.
Brid Rodgers, of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, to retook the position she held for 10 weeks until the assembly was suspended in February.
During her first stint in power Mrs Rodgers formed a constructive working partnership with the agriculture chairman Ian Paisley, of the Democratic Unionist Party, who is at the opposite end of the political spectrum to her. She vowed to continue to put political differences aside for the good of the industry.
"I know that all the people on the committee and the chair, Dr Paisley, have the interests of the farming community and the rural communities at heart," she said. "We wont always agree, but I will accept constructive criticism and Im sure Ill get plenty of that."