This funding has enabled the business to purchase equipment which will enhance its product offering and embrace market expansion.

Speaking at the visit, Minister Poots said: “I am delighted to visit this business and be able to see first-hand the benefits that this funding has brought to it. I am very impressed that the funding provided to Karl and Ryan Wilson, under my Department’s Micro Food Business Investment Scheme, will enable their business to increase the quantity of its products being sold to the retail or distribution industry particularly outside of Northern Ireland.

“This project demonstrates what support can do for businesses and how it can assist with their growth plans. I congratulate you and wish you both continued success in the future.”

Karl and Ryan Wilson, joint owners of True Gelato said: “Award winning True Gelato has been producing its own gelato, sorbet, and gelato cakes, which are free from additives, preservatives, colourings, and palm oil, since 2017. Indeed, we are particularly proud of winning six awards in 2020, one of which was ‘Best Vanilla in the UK’.

“The funding from DAERA will help us achieve increased throughput by at least 80% over the next 2-3 years, as part of the projected growth for our business. As a result, there will also be associated savings in production costs.

“The equipment will also enable us to increase the number of customers we will be able to supply with our products thereby increasing the demand for more locally produced milk. It is therefore a pleasure to welcome Minister Poots here so that he can see for himself how the funding will greatly benefit our business.”

The Micro Food Business Investment Scheme was a pilot scheme that aimed to support existing micro food and drink manufacturing businesses who were processing local primary agricultural produce i.e., food or ingredients farmed or grown in Northern Ireland, to produce a new product; enhance an existing product; expand a product range; or produce more of an existing product.

The purpose of the grant was to enable businesses to commence supplying to the retail or distribution industry; or increase the quantity of products being sold to the retail or distribution industry; or move into sales outside of Northern Ireland.

The pilot Scheme provided financial capital grant assistance for new equipment/machinery. The Scheme is now closed with funding of £191k committed with all projects to be completed by the 31 March 2022.

The pilot was one of a number delivered to inform the development of a new Rural Policy Framework. The pilot scheme will be evaluated, and learning used in the design and delivery of the New Rural Business and Community Investment Programme.

Caption: Minister Poots is pictured with Karl and Ryan Wilson at True Gelato in Ballyclare.

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Originally announced by Environment Minister Edwin Poots in September, the change will also include an extension to the existing pricing threshold, which will see all bags priced at £5 or less subject to the levy, irrespective of the material they are made from.

Mr Poots said the existing 5p Carrier Bag Levy had been successful in already removing more than 1.7 billion bags from circulation, but a significant number of retailers in NI were selling large volumes of heavy duty bags at a cost of 20 pence or more each, and these were now flooding the market and were not being reused, with harmful environmental consequences.

He said the change would go some way towards making Northern Ireland a cleaner and more pleasant place in which to live, by ensuring that proceeds from the Levy are re-invested in supporting the wider NI environmental sector.

Retail NI Chief Executive Glyn Roberts said: “We absolutely agree on the objective to reduce the level of plastic in circulation as well as the levels that continue to litter our streets. Retail NI members have led the way in in reducing plastic packaging and promoting bag for life options.

“Retail NI argued for the 5p charge to be increased to a more realistic figure of 10p in line with what is being proposed in England and Scotland. We believe this increase to 25p will disproportionately impact on working families who are struggling with the cost of living crisis.

“However, we will work with DAERA on its implementation and urge them to keep this policy under review.

“As is the case in Wales, we would now like to see responsibility given to our members to allow them to decide on what local environmental projects the proceeds of the levy, that they administer, is spent on.

“Successive Environment and DAERA Ministers have never consulted local retailers on how the proceeds of the levy is spent. We want to empower our members to make the decisions themselves on how best to spend the levy which they collect.”

The post Retail NI reminds customers to be ready for Carrier Bag Levy increase today first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

It will be another week before P&O ships can operate from the port, after the firm sacked 800 staff.

One retail industry representative said disruption was for now “manageable”.

Mr Poots, however, warned that goods normally coming into Northern Ireland “won’t be able to get in”.

“There are export materials that need to get out of Northern Ireland which won’t get out,” he told BBC’s The View programme.

“About 50% of our food is exported out of Great Britain, so that is a real problem for us.”

As P&O sailings are a key part of Northern Ireland’s retail logistics infrastructure, the matter needed to be resolved “very quickly”, said NIRC’s director Aodhán Connolly.

He said retailers had stock in large distribution centres which should last for about four or five days.

In the meantime, he said retailers were looking at alternative Irish Sea options such as using the ports of Belfast and Warrenpoint in Northern Ireland and Dublin in the Republic of Ireland.

With regard to the transport of goods to and from mainland Europe, Mr Connolly said retailers were also considering using the Eurotunnel or air freight.

“P&O sailings are a key part of our retail logistics infrastructure – them being out of action does put immediate pressure on supply chains,” Mr Connolly told the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme.

“While this is manageable at the moment, the longer the disruption continues, the more the likelihood is that we could see some issues, so this needs to be resolved very quickly,” he added.

On Thursday, private security officers were sent on to a ship docked at Larne Harbour in County Antrim, to remove staff.

Nearly a quarter of P&O Ferries’ UK staff were told via a video message on Thursday that it was their “final day of employment”.

Steve Hedley of the RMT union told Good Morning Ulster on Friday that P&O’s actions were “completely unacceptable”.

He said the union’s legal team were preparing a legal challenge and would be working with maritime unions across the world.

“We have no problem at all with people getting jobs, as long as they are on the same terms and conditions of people working here,” he said.

Mr Hedley said he was originally from Northern Ireland and that the ferries were “absolutely essential” to its economy and infrastructure.

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, William McCaughey, said the council would be seeking urgent discussions with P&O and that “council officers are on-hand to support affected staff”.

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The posters advise that from April 1 2022 carrier bags will cost 25p.  They can be downloaded from the Fed’s website at www.thefedonline.com.

The increase to the carrier bag levy was announced by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in November.  It said that doing so would further protect the environment and encourage consumers to reuse their carrier bags.

The Fed challenged the drastic increase when advised by environment minister Edwin Poots MLA in November 2021. DAERA was warned that while the increase was beneficial from an environmental standpoint, it would impact on independent retailers at a time of great financial uncertainty.carrier bag levy

25p

Commenting on the increase, former Fed Northern Ireland president Judith Mercer said: “From an environmental standpoint, it makes sense.  We want there to be less plastic, but this price increase is a big jump.”

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The union was welcoming the Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots’ announcement that a new support scheme worth £2million for local pig farmers is to be rolled out to address the financial losses caused by market volatility, increasing input costs and getting pigs moved off farm for slaughter.

UFU president Victor Chestnutt said the scheme is needed greatly and will help to alleviate some of the financial pressure members are currently under.

“We’ve been engaging with DAERA officials over the past number of months about the deteriorating state of the sector and are pleased that the Minister has recognised the vital need for this support. It comes at a critical time when they are on their knees experiencing a crisis like never seen before. After months of enduring low pig prices and rising input costs, the impact locally of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine has pushed them to breaking point,” he said.

“The new support scheme will help to deal with some of the losses already incurred on farm, but it’s important to stress that it will not cover the losses which our farmers continue to endure. Since the war in Ukraine, the market price of feed has soared to levels not seen before. The Northern Ireland pig industry is hanging on a knife edge. A price increase is still needed from retailers to ensure the security of the industry during this extremely difficult period.

“The NI pork industry has delivered a high-quality product, produced to world leading environmental and animal welfare standards for decades. If the sector collapses, our consumers will see a premium, local product disappearing from shop shelves, local food security will take a massive hit having a knock-on effect on rural communities and the NI economy.

“We are in dire need of retailers delivering an immediate increase in prices paid and consumers being understanding and supportive of that so that we can sustain our local pig sector. We’re all aware of how vulnerable global supplies have become, we need to be supporting local food production and helping to protect our food producers during these difficult times.”

The post Farmers call for higher prices from retailers as they welcome £2m pig sector support scheme first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.