The Ulster Farmers' Union has highlighted a growing concern about the disparity between funding going to the agri-food sectors in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The UFU says the agri-food sector in Northern Ireland is at risk of being put at a competitive disadvantage because of growing financial support being made available South of the border.

UFU President Kenneth Sharkey said; "This week the Southern beef industry was awarded a 50 million Euro support fund. Last week the Southern dairy industry was awarded 114 million Euro. We recently visited Bord Bia in Dublin which has an annual budget of 30 million Euro to promote Irish food; and the Rural Development budget for the Republic of Ireland amounts to 6.8 billion Euro. This is a very significant issue and I see a risk that our agri-food industry could be left under resourced in comparison".

Kenneth Sharkey added; "In no way do we begrudge this funding for the Southern industry, but we must highlight that this is an issue which will have to be looked at by the new Northern Ireland Assembly. Our Agri-food industry needs significant long term investment so that we are in good shape to meet the challenges of a global food market".