Other News In Brief

Minister Welcomes Progress At Agriculture Council

Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill has welcomed the constructive dialogue on CAP reform and beef mislabelling at yesterday’s EU Agriculture Council meeting in Brussels.

The Minister said: "Before the Council meeting, I had a very useful discussion with Ministers from England, Scotland and Wales on our CAP reform priorities as the negotiations now move into top gear.

"This wide-ranging meeting covered issues such as the need to secure maximum regional flexibility on the CAP implementation options, how best to direct support towards active farmers, the scale and scope of any coupled support and support for young farmers, and the future designation of areas of natural constraint.

"In preparation for the Council debate, we also addressed the rate of transition of decoupled support towards a flat rate payment regime and the issue of transparency in how CAP payments are allocated to individual beneficiaries."

Glenarm Organic Salmon Win UAE Business

Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster has congratulated Glenarm Organic Salmon on winning its first business in the United Arab Emirates.

The Minister was speaking from Dubai during a three day trade development mission which included participation in Gulfood, one of the world’s biggest food and hospitality events.

Glenarm Organic Salmon, Northern Ireland's only salmon farm, won the business in Dubai with a leading distribution company to supply major hotels and high-end restaurants following its participation last year on an Invest Northern Ireland mission to the Emirates for local seafood processors.

Unemployed Gain ICT Skills

Employment and Learning Minister Dr Stephen Farry has hailed an initiative to give 20 unemployed young people the opportunity to develop skills in the ICT sector.

Minister Farry was speaking today during a visit to Wholeschool Software in West Belfast, which is working in partnership with the Department for Employment and Learning to offer 20 opportunities to unemployed young people to gain valuable skills and experience in the ICT sector.

The Minister said: “My Department welcomes the opportunity to work with employers to provide work placements for young unemployed people and to develop their employability skills. This partnership with Wholeschool Software, will allow the participants to acquire and develop the skills sought by employers in this growth sector of software development and programming."