Newry, Mourne and Down District Council told there will be no BBC U-turn on Farmgate

NMDDC had urged the broadcaster to reconsider its move to e nd the agricultural radio segment ‘Farm Gate’ after 30 years on the airwaves.

UFU president David Brown has also publicly reacted to the removal of the show, saying he was “gutted and angered”.

Crotlieve SDLP rep, Declan McAteer had previously said: “This programme is an important lifeline, providing up-to-date information to farmers that affects their livelihoods and has been on the air for over 30 years.

“The majority of farmers I know are loan workers living in isolation. To cut off this service will only further alienate them.”

However, in a letter seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service to the council, the BBC NI director, Adam Smyth has outlined his new farming strategy.

He wrote: “We understand that the farming slot on Good Morning Ulster has been appreciated by many listeners, but think that this editorial can be met in a more developed and impactful way, making use of wider newsroom resources, expertise and capabilities and by more fully integrating stories in this are within the totality of our local news services, both linear and digital.

“We note, and take seriously, the council’s concerns and hope that these will be allayed by the commitment that we’ve outlined above and the enhancement that we will be able to make this aspect of the BBC’s news programming over the coming period.”

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