Northern Irish farm leaders have raised concerns about the lack of future financial support for the region's fragile sheep sector.
The Sheep Industry Taskforce, which is made up of industry groups, met with the Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee to raise the concerns.
They highlighted that the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) makes up the majority of sheep farms' income, with the sector having one of the lowest incomes.
Sheep farming is part of the fabric of Northern Irish agriculture, with almost 4 in 10 farm businesses contributing to sheep production.
And last year, the sheep sector contributed £109 million to the Northern Irish economy.
But UFU deputy president, Glenn Cuddy warned that the sector is set to lose out on 18% of the BPS, with no way to make up for the shortfall.
Many farms are also on severely disadvantaged land, he explained, which aren't suitable for growing crops or raising cattle.
"Therefore, they can’t benefit from the Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme or the Suckler Cow Scheme, and Areas of Natural Constraint payments ended in 2017," Mr Cuddy said.
“We came away from the meeting having made it very clear that sheep support needs to be added into future agriculture support."
The UFU and sheep industry reps have planned a meeting with NI Farming Minister Andrew Muir in the coming weeks to discuss the matter further.
Sean Fitzpatrick, of the NI Agricultural Producers’ Association, who attended the meeting, said sheep farmers have some of the lowest incomes while having to deal with a wide range of challenges, such as weather, land quality and age demographics.
“The sheep industry contributed £109m in 2023 to the NI economy, but how can anyone expect our sheep farmers to maintain this when their income is getting significantly cut?" he asked.
"If support is not provided for sheep businesses to help them manage challenges, it has the potential to put many farm families out of business.
"The impact of which would ripple into rural communities, impact the environment and the supply chain."
