Diana Armstrong has been named chair of the Assembly's Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee. Armstrong, the UUP deputy leader and MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, replaces Robbie Butler after his appointment as Minister of Health earlier this month. She said she was ready to start the work.

Armstrong described the timing as difficult for farming, citing the cattle cull at Fivemiletown. She said trust between farmers and the department that regulates them had been significantly damaged, and that rebuilding it would require more than the passage of time. She said she had spoken with farming families in her constituency.

She identified several pressures on the sector: rising fertiliser costs, the general cost of farming, bovine TB in herds, and continued uncertainty over nutrient rules and farm support payments. She also called for more open conversation about mental health in agriculture.

Armstrong said the committee's responsibilities go beyond agriculture. She pointed to the Dilapidation Bill, now in its final stage, and said empty buildings damage communities and deter investment. Her priority, she said, would be to see the legislation implemented and ensure councils have the resources to use the new powers.

On the environment, Armstrong said wastewater infrastructure at Lough Neagh should be scrutinised just as closely as farming. She said farmers should not be left to carry the burden of environmental policy on their own, and that they should help design the rules rather than have them imposed.

Armstrong referred to her father, former agriculture minister Harry West, and his focus on investment in farming, education for young farmers, and affordability. She said those principles are still relevant. She added that farmers deserve a department that understands their pressures rather than one they meet mainly through inspection and enforcement.