NORTHERN IRELAND'S farm minister has splashed out on two schemes to support livestock producers whose income has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Edwin Poots, who was briefly leader of the Democratic Unionist Party in the aftermath of Arlene Foster's departure, but who has now retreated back to his agriculture brief, just found £1.2 million and £1.6 million for the province's sheep and pig farmers respectively.

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Announcing the support scheme for sheep farmers, Minister Poots said: “I am pleased that my department has been able to secure £1.2million in support for those sheep farmers who were impacted by the dramatic fall in wool prices as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. I am hopeful that this funding will help in offsetting those verifiable losses in the past year.

“I met with Ulster Wool prior to the development of the Scheme and I am grateful to them for their input and information that demonstrated evidence of verifiable losses in the sector and helped inform the final support measures that I have made available."

Mr Poots explained that the £1.6M support scheme for pig farmers was intended for those producers who had seen a significant fall in the price they received for cull sows from May 2020, with some 185 business likely to be eligible.

He added: “Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic over £23.5million has already been paid out by DAERA to local farm businesses impacted and this financial support has been very helpful in these difficult times.”