The Committee for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs was established in Northern Ireland to advise and assist the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and the Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (currently Andrew Muir), on matters within his responsibility as a Minister. The committee undertakes a scrutiny, policy development and consultation role with respect to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and plays a key role in the consideration and development of legislation.

Until 2016, the committee was called the Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development.

Membership Membership of the committee is as follows:

Party MemberConstituency Robbie Butler MLA (Chairperson) Lagan Valley Declan McAleer MLA (Deputy Chairperson) West Tyrone John Blair MLA South Antrim Tom Buchanan MLA West Tyrone Aoife Finnegan MLA Newry and Armagh William Irwin MLA Newry and Armagh Daniel McCrossan MLA West Tyrone Michelle McIlveen MLA Strangford Áine Murphy MLA Fermanagh and South Tyrone

2022–2027 Assembly The committee will meet for the first time in the 2022–2027 Assembly on 14 February 2024.

Party MemberConstituency Tom Elliott MLA (Chairperson) Fermanagh and South Tyrone Declan McAleer MLA (Deputy Chairperson) West Tyrone John Blair MLA South Antrim Nicola Brogan MLA West Tyrone Tom Buchanan MLA West Tyrone William Irwin MLA Newry and Armagh Patsy McGlone MLA Mid Ulster Michelle McIlveen MLA Strangford Áine Murphy MLA Fermanagh and South Tyrone

Changes 2022–2027 Date Outgoing member and party Constituency → New member and party Constituency 30 September 2024 Tom Elliott MLA (Chairperson, UUP) Fermanagh and South Tyrone → Robbie Butler MLA (Chairperson, UUP) Lagan Valley 17 February 2025 Nicola Brogan MLA (Sinn Féin) West Tyrone → Aoife Finnegan MLA (Sinn Féin) Newry and Armagh 8 September 2025 Patsy McGlone MLA (SDLP) Mid Ulster → Daniel McCrossan MLA (SDLP) West Tyrone

2017-2022 Assembly The committee met for the first time in the 2017–2022 Assembly on 21 January 2020.

Party MemberConstituency Declan McAleer MLA (Chairperson) West Tyrone Philip McGuigan MLA (Deputy Chairperson) North Antrim Clare Bailey MLA Belfast South Rosemary Barton MLA Fermanagh and South Tyrone John Blair MLA South Antrim Maurice Bradley MLA East Londonderry John Dallat MLA East Londonderry Harry Harvey MLA Strangford William Irwin MLA Newry and Armagh

Changes 2017–2022 Date Outgoing member and party Constituency → New member and party Constituency 9 March 2020 John Dallat MLA (SDLP) East Londonderry → Pat Catney MLA (SDLP) Lagan Valley 26 May 2020 Pat Catney MLA (SDLP) Lagan Valley → Patsy McGlone MLA (SDLP) Mid Ulster 20 September 2021 Maurice Bradley MLA (DUP) East Londonderry → Tom Buchanan MLA (DUP) West Tyrone

2016-2017 Assembly The committee met for the first time in the 2016–2017 Assembly on 2 June 2016.

Party MemberConstituency Linda Dillon MLA (Chairperson) Mid Ulster Caoimhe Archibald MLA (Deputy Chairperson) East Londonderry Sydney Anderson MLA Upper Bann Maurice Bradley MLA East Londonderry David Ford MLA South Antrim William Irwin MLA Newry and Armagh Patsy McGlone MLA Mid Ulster Harold McKee MLA South Down Oliver McMullan MLA East Antrim Edwin Poots MLA Lagan Valley Robin Swann MLA North Antrim

Changes 2016–2017 Date Outgoing member and party Constituency → New member and party Constituency 2 December 2016 Linda Dillon MLA (Chairperson, Sinn Féin) Mid Ulster → Caoimhe Archibald MLA (Chairperson, Sinn Féin) East Londonderry 2 December 2016 Caoimhe Archibald MLA (Deputy Chairperson, Sinn Féin) East Londonderry → Oliver McMullan MLA (Deputy Chairperson, Sinn Féin) East Antrim

2011-2016 Assembly The committee met for the first time in the 2016–2017 Assembly in May 2011.

Party MemberConstituency Paul Frew MLA (Chairperson) North Antrim Dolores Kelly MLA (Deputy Chairperson) Upper Bann Tom Buchanan MLA West Tyrone Trevor Clarke MLA South Antrim Willie Clarke MLA South Down Jo-Anne Dobson MLA Upper Bann William Irwin MLA Newry and Armagh Oliver McMullan MLA East Antrim Kieran McCarthy MLA Strangford Conor Murphy MLA Newry and Armagh Robin Swann MLA North Antrim

Changes 2011–2016 Date Outgoing member and party Constituency → New member and party Constituency 23 January 2012 Conor Murphy MLA (Sinn Féin) Newry and Armagh → Michaela Boyle MLA (Sinn Féin) West Tyrone 17 April 2012 Willie Clarke MLA (Sinn Féin) South Down → Vacant 8 May 2012 Vacant → Chris Hazzard MLA (Sinn Féin) South Down 21 May 2012 Dolores Kelly MLA (Deputy Chairperson, SDLP) Upper Bann → Joe Byrne MLA (Deputy Chairperson, SDLP) West Tyrone 10 September 2012 Michaela Boyle MLA (Sinn Féin) West Tyrone → Declan McAleer MLA (Sinn Féin) West Tyrone 4 December 2012 Robin Swann MLA (UUP) North Antrim → Danny Kinahan MLA (UUP) South Antrim 21 January 2013 Danny Kinahan MLA (UUP) South Antrim → Robin Swann MLA (UUP) North Antrim 15 April 2013 Chris Hazzard MLA (Sinn Féin) South Down → Ian Milne MLA (Sinn Féin) Mid Ulster 16 September 2013 Trevor Clarke MLA (DUP) South Antrim → Michelle McIlveen MLA (DUP) Strangford 1 October 2013 Kieran McCarthy MLA (Alliance) Strangford → Trevor Lunn MLA (Alliance) Lagan Valley 27 January 2014 Trevor Lunn MLA (Alliance) Lagan Valley → Judith Cochrane MLA (Alliance) Belfast East 4 July 2014 Robin Swann MLA (UUP) North Antrim → Tom Elliott MLA (UUP) Fermanagh and South Tyrone 24 September 2014 Paul Frew MLA (Chairperson, DUP) North Antrim → William Irwin MLA (Chairperson, DUP) Newry and Armagh 29 September 2014 Judith Cochrane MLA (Alliance) Belfast East → Kieran McCarthy MLA (Alliance) Strangford 6 October 2014 Paul Frew MLA (DUP) North Antrim → Sydney Anderson MLA (DUP) Upper Bann Michelle McIlveen MLA (DUP) Strangford Edwin Poots MLA (DUP) Lagan Valley 30 June 2015 Tom Elliott MLA (UUP) Fermanagh and South Tyrone → Robin Swann MLA (UUP) North Antrim 5 October 2015 Tom Buchanan MLA (DUP) North Antrim → Ian McCrea MLA (DUP) Mid Ulster 11 January 2016 Joe Byrne MLA (Deputy Chairperson, SDLP) West Tyrone → Seán Rogers MLA (Deputy Chairperson, SDLP) South Down

2007-2011 Assembly The committee met for the first time in the 2016–2017 Assembly in May 2007.

Party MemberConstituency William McCrea MLA (Chairperson) South Antrim Tom Elliott MLA (Deputy Chairperson) Fermanagh and South Tyrone P. J. Bradley MLA South Down Allan Bresland MLA West Tyrone Thomas Burns MLA South Antrim Trevor Clarke MLA South Antrim Willie Clarke MLA South Down Gerry McHugh MLA Fermanagh and South Tyrone William Irwin MLA Newry and Armagh Francie Molloy MLA Mid Ulster George Savage MLA Upper Bann

Changes 2007-2011 Date Outgoing member and party Constituency → New member and party Constituency 21 January 2008 Gerry McHugh MLA (Sinn Féin) Fermanagh and South Tyrone → Pat Doherty MLA (Sinn Féin) West Tyrone 14 September 2008 Allan Bresland MLA (DUP) West Tyrone → Edwin Poots MLA (DUP) Lagan Valley 28 May 2009 P. J. Bradley MLA (SDLP) South Down → Patsy McGlone MLA (SDLP) Mid Ulster 4 July 2007 Trevor Clarke MLA (DUP) South Antrim → Ian Paisley Jr MLA (DUP) North Antrim Edwin Poots MLA (DUP) Lagan Valley Jim Shannon MLA (DUP) Strangford 4 July 2009 William McCrea MLA (Chairperson, DUP) South Antrim → Ian Paisley Jr MLA (Chairperson, DUP) North Antrim 9 March 2010 Patsy McGlone MLA (SDLP) Mid Ulster → P. J. Bradley MLA (SDLP) South Down 14 April 2010 Thomas Burns MLA (SDLP) South Antrim → Kieran McCarthy MLA (Alliance) Strangford 23 June 2010 Ian Paisley Jr MLA (Chairperson, DUP) North Antrim → Stephen Moutray MLA (Chairperson, DUP) Upper Bann 1 July 2010 William McCrea MLA (DUP) South Antrim → Vacant 3 August 2010 Jim Shannon MLA (DUP) Strangford → Vacant 14 September 2010 Vacant → Trevor Clarke MLA (DUP) South Antrim Vacant Simpson Gibson MLA (DUP) Strangford 6 October 2010 Tom Elliott MLA (Deputy Chairperson, UUP) Fermanagh and South Tyrone → Roy Beggs Jr MLA (Chairperson, UUP) East Antrim

1998-2003 Assembly The committee met for the first time in the 2016–2017 Assembly in November 1999.

Party MemberConstituency Ian Paisley MLA (Chairperson) North Antrim Billy Armstrong MLA Mid Ulster P. J. Bradley MLA South Down Boyd Douglas MLA East Londonderry David Ford MLA South Antrim Denis Haughey MLA Mid Ulster Gardiner Kane MLA North Antrim Ian Paisley Jr MLA North Antrim Francie Molloy MLA Mid Ulster George Savage MLA Upper Bann

Changes 1998-2003 Date Outgoing member and party Constituency → New member and party Constituency 24 January 2000 Denis Haughey MLA (SDLP) Mid Ulster → John Dallat MLA (SDLP) East Londonderry 4 February 2002 Francie Molloy MLA (Sinn Féin) Mid Ulster → Mick Murphy MLA (Sinn Féin) South Down 1 July 2002 Mick Murphy MLA (Sinn Féin) South Down → Pat Doherty MLA (Sinn Féin) West Tyrone

See also Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

References

External links Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development