Start of a busy week - we're all delighted to welcome our new Minister
@AndrewMuirNI
to
@daera_ni
and are looking forward to supporting him in his new role.
Delighted to join
@DEpermsec
& senior colleagues from
@healthdpt
and
@CommunitiesNI
to say farewell & thank you on behalf of all our depts to Koulla for her fearless championing of the rights, aspirations & needs of children & young people & for her support over the past 8 years
Happy
#IWD2023
to all the amazing & inspirational women who work across our environment, agriculture, marine, forest, fish, food security & animal health sectors, who advocate for our rural communities & who deliver for
@daera_ni
.
#EmbraceEquity
#VisibleVocalValued
💜
Ands more good news to share on this New Year's Eve!
Many congratulations to
@MariaJenningsNI
, Director of Food Standards Agency in NI on her award of a CBE Has served consumers and the local food industry with skill & integrity and thoroughly deserves this great accolade
Great to be part of the launch of the 2023-24
@SistersIN_HQ
programme. I’ve loved being part of the 2022-23 pilot & would encourage any of our public sector women leaders with an interest in supporting the next generation of female leaders to sign up to be a mentor next year.
Thanks to
@NTDirectorNI
and team for the opportunity to spend time with them in the beautiful Mournes this afternoon & to see some of the equipment and recovery work that
@daera_ni
has been able to support following the April 2021 wildfires
@NTMournes
@NationalTrustNI
A big thank you to the NICS LGBTQ+ staff network for all they did to make our participation in
#BelfastPride2022
possible. It’s been a great day! 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Absolutely delighted for our
@daera_ni
Digital Services Team - SNHS is a real game-changer and their talent, dedication & commitment has been key to its development & delivery
⭐️👏👏👏
Almost 30 pups have been rescued at Belfast Port as part of a multi-agency crackdown against illegal puppy trafficking and Christmas puppy sales. More info:
#pawsforthought
It was great to join a study visit today with
@daera_ni
@Economy_NI
and
@Justice_NI
colleagues to the Boyne Valley to discuss net zero farming & the importance of soil quality for animal, human & environmental wellbeing. Thanks to Owen, John & all at Dowth for having us
.
@daera_ni
has announced that Mr Brian Dooher (MRCVS) has been successful in the recent external recruitment competition to appoint a new Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) for NI
More at
Thanks to
@UlsterUniLHS
and
@NICHE_ULSTER
for a really useful and informative set of discussions in in Coleraine this afternoon on learning, academic excellence and the importance of linking research, innovation & policy for maximum impact
We were so very sorry to learn today of the death of Maud Kells. Maud joined our NICS International Women’s Day event at
@DiscoverCAFRE
back in 2019 and made such an impact on all of us - a truly inspirational woman with huge courage and such dedication to serving others.
Thank you to colleagues
@AFBI_NI
Veterinary Sciences Division for a really valuable set of briefings this week on their work and its importance in maintaining and improving the health and welfare of animals and in protecting public health
Capturing the spirit and excitement of the NICS Women’s Network
#iWD2023
event with
@HeadNICS
and Zara, my
@SistersIN_HQ
mentee, who has also been able to join us today to celebrate the role of women in our workplaces
#EmbraceEquity
💜
My visit to the Orchard County wouldn’t have been complete with a visit to an orchard! It was wonderful to talk with Pat and Catherine in the beautiful setting of
@LongMeadowCider
about their new production and visitor facilities and their plans for the future 🍏🌸🍺
Great to run into our
@daera_ni
student network in Parliament Buildings today. Huge thanks to
@patsymcglone
for sponsoring their visit and an even bigger thank you to the fab
@SJBPS11
student council member who volunteered to be photographer so we could all be in the pic👏👏📸
Thank you to Ariel from
@BirdLifeEurope
for the opportunity to meet yesterday to talk about shared objectives & effective policy interventions in the areas of biodiversity, land use & climate change. Thanks also to
@RSPBNI
for their help in arranging our meeting
@BrusselsNI
We’re recruiting to fill senior level vacancies in DAERA and would love to hear from anyone who meets the criteria set out in the Candidate Information Booklet. There are more details via the link below.
Thank you to
@EqualityCommNI
colleagues Jacqui and Kevin who joined our
@daera_ni
board today to lead a really valuable discussion on the board’s role in ensuring that the department discharges effectively its s75 responsibilities
A big 👏👏 to our team who did a fab job on the
@daera_ni
stand at
@NPAIE
. It was great to be with them at such an impressive event and to engage with competitors, local businesses, colleagues in
@agriculture_ie
,
@DeptRCD
&
@teagasc
and of course the legend that is Anna May!
It’s international
@WomenScienceDay
and a great day to celebrate the many talented women working in science roles across
@daera_ni
and the NICS and to play our part in encouraging many more girls and young women to follow STEM careers
#WomenAndGirlsInScience
#February11
Last week we said thank you and farewell to Gillian, our brilliant
@daera_ni
@BoardAppr
. Supported by her board buddy, Brian, she’s made a fantastic contribution to our work over the past year. We’re also looking forward to welcoming our new apprentice, Carla, later this month.
Fantastic to be a part of the
@SistersIN_HQ
celebrations
@BelfastICC
Well done to Hannah who talked so articulately about the programme
@Ashfield_girls
where I’m proud to be a mentor and to all the other fantastic girls and young women taking part today
#SistersIn23
Delighted to meet
@UFUHQ
reps today to discuss the further work needed both to address and overcome the challenges faced by women working in agriculture here and also to acknowledge & celebrate the valuable role that women already play in our agriculture sector
#visibleandvalued
Thanks to all at
@AFBI_NI
and to
@TraversSarah
for a super, well organised and really informative event. Lots of learning to inform our journey to
#netzero
and to help our sector innovate to deliver
#greengrowth
🌱
Enjoying my week as a
#bookweekni
ambassador. Today’s focus is on poetry & plays so I’ve gone for a
@daera
theme with Heaney’s ‘Digging’. Hoping also to fit in a visit to my local
@LibrariesNI
branch later. 📚
A massive thank you to
@abcb_ce
and colleagues for the opportunity to visit
@abcb_council
today and to Shane at Donnelly Horticulture and Richard & Noel at Tannaghmore Farm for being so generous with their time as we talked about everything from Moilies to scented stocks
Great to visit
@AFBI_NI
yesterday & get an update from
@RachelCassidy
& team on the Soil Nutrient Health Scheme 🌱which has the potential to be a real game changer. Fantastic also to see uptake from Zone 1 farmers up to 75%. It’s not too late to register
Thanks so much to
@DiscoverCAFRE
for hosting today’s
@chiefexecforum
Transformative Leaders Graduation and congratulations to all those who graduated 👩🎓👨🎓 especially our own Catherine Fisher
We celebrated some of NI's amazing public servants today at the graduation of our Transformative Leader programme. Thanks
@liveitorleadit
&
@MckeownLynn
for leading the programme; guest speakers
@DenisMTEO
&
@NIJACNews
CEO Tonya McCormac &
@daera_ni
for hosting us @ Greenmount👏
Delighted to be a
#bookweekni
ambassador - it’s a great week to celebrate the joy of reading & also the key role of our local libraries, especially in rural areas. Today’s theme is life stories so here’s a book I’ve read many times and really enjoy 📚
Huge thanks to
@QUBIGFS
for the warm welcome yesterday afternoon. I really valued the opportunity to hear about the Institute’s work and its many successes and to talk about the importance of science & innovation and collaborative working
We were delighted to welcome DAERA Permanent Secretary Katrina Godfrey (centre) & team to our Institute!
We discussed our exciting research, education programmes & opportunities for partnership.
Find out more, including our recent success in UK rankings:
A massive thank you to John and to all the YA Environment Committee members for your work on climate change & the recommendations you’ve made. We look forward to working closely with the new Youth Assembly as together we chart our path to net zero by 2050 🌱🌍
First up is our YA Environment Committee rapporteur John Kane who is presenting the Committee’s findings and recommendations on tackling Climate Change to the Permanent Secretary
@daera_ni
. 1/3
Great to join the
@countrysidefund
and
@UFUHQ
this morning and to have the opportunity to hear from this super panel of farmers about the support they’ve had from the fund and from
@RuralSupport
Today’s
#bookweekni
message is ‘love your library’ so here’s a pic of the library where I spent so much time as a child & where the fantastic staff made it their personal mission to find books I’d love. Why not give your local library a visit today and see what it has on offer 📚
Day 6 of
#bookweekni
and the theme is ‘stories in pictures and sound’ so I’ve gone for a favourite in audiobook form. There are loads and loads of audio books available via
@LibrariesNI
📚
Many thanks to
@RSPBNI
and
@niwnews
colleagues for a really useful visit to Garron Plateau and discussion on peatland restoration and biodiversity (with a timely guest appearance by a resident newt!)
Great to be out on site with
@DAERAPermSec
,
@daera_ni
&
@niwnews
exploring the multiple benefits of peatland restoration for
#climate
&
#nature
. Good discussion afterwards on how to implement the Peatland Strategy over the long term
Many thanks to Greg and to Carl & Chris for giving us your time this morning - the discussions were both enjoyable and valuable. Looking forward to catching up again soon
#OurGiantAmbition
We were delighted to welcome our 23-24
@SistersIN_HQ
mentors to our coffee and conversation event. We look forward to working alongside them in promoting and developing female leadership over the coming year.
Great to be in the beautiful surroundings of
@ComgallsSt
(travel courtesy of
@GliderBelfast
) for the
@chiefexecforum
symposium with some fab speakers helping us to explore how we harness behavioural science to support the transition to
#NetZero
🌍🌱
It was great to spend time with
@RSPBNI
and
@MidUlster_DC
partners this afternoon and to have the opportunity to see some of the work we’ve been able to do together and to talk about what more needs to be done.
Thank you so much to Heidi, Annika, Jennifer and
@DavidSterling7
for the opportunity to visit on a glorious day and to discuss opportunities to improve biodiversity & explore blue carbon potential. Also learned lots about native oysters (and even more about sea squirts!)
It was lovely to spend time with my counterpart Patricia De Clercq in
@DepartementLV
this morning - we had so many common policy challenges to discuss (and both of us the first women to have held our respective roles). Looking forward to catching up again in 2023
@BrusselsNI
Big thanks to Harry, Alan, Trevor, Ben & Adam for their welcome to
#KilkeelHarbour
and for the opportunity to discuss the fantastic quality of our local sea food, climate action & carbon reduction and the other challenges and opportunities facing our fishing communities 🦐🌊
It was great to catch up today at
@DiscoverCAFRE
with some of the 60+ placement students from
@UlsterUni
@QUBelfast
& further afield that we’ve been delighted to welcome to
@daera
for the 2022-23 academic year
Delighted to visit Stream BioEnergy (SBE) Biogas Plant with our
@daera_ni
Green Growth Team. Thanks to Morgan & Simon for their time - it was a great opportunity to hear about how their R&D and innovative technologies are helping to address challenges and create new opportunities
Well done to Courtney and Aaron for sharing their experiences. We’re looking forward to offering more placements in
@daera_ni
so please do share and encourage anyone who’s interested to apply.
@UlsterUni
@QUBelfast
📹 University students share their experiences of the NI Civil Service Student Placement Scheme ⬇.
If you’re interested and want to earn a competitive salary while developing your skills, apply here by noon Fri, 27 Oct:
We’ve been so lucky to have had Carla on our
@daera_ni
board for the past year & have gained so much from her involvement. Many thanks Carla and all the very best for the future. We’ll miss you but are also looking forward to welcoming our new
@BoardAppr
next month
#GetOnBoard
Today marks the end of my
@BoardAppr
journey as I attended my last
@daera_ni
board meeting. Sincere thanks to my board buddies Brian and Fiona for their guidance and to
@DAERAPermSec
and the entire board for providing me with a brilliant learning experience
#GetOnBoard
Today’s
#bookweekni
focus is on children’s books. Posting one of my own childhood favourites & my 9 year old niece’s current favourite read. Also a great day to say thank you to all the fab
@LibrariesNI
staff who help foster a love of reading in our children 📚
#bookweekambassador
Many thanks to Pat, Kathleen and everyone at
@LoughNeaghEels
for a super morning of leaning and discussion and also for the opportunity to sample some delicious local eel and dollaghan (and to admire the beauty and patience of the herons waiting for their lunch)
Today we welcomed
@DAERAPermSec
Katrina Godfrey to our premises to get an insight into the Lough Neagh Fishing industry.
Pictured left to right Frankie Colon, Gerry McNally, Katrina Godfrey, Pat Close, Kathleen McBride, Kelly Mills, Seamus Connor & Damian McCann.
#loughneagh
Lovely to meet local
@RDAnational
volunteers from Fermanagh who do such amazing work and have been able to make great use of the fab facilities
@DiscoverCAFRE
in Enniskillen
Have your say - complete a consultation on the Strategic Framework to End Violence Against Women and Girls. Help make the change needed to be free from violence, harm and abuse -
Join us online - to comment on the plans ahead:
Finance Minister Conor Murphy and Head of the Civil Service Jayne Brady today launched a new recruitment programme offering graduates the opportunity to secure and fast track a career in the Civil Service.
➡
➡ Apply here:
@SueGrayCO
@BoardAppr
Delighted to see Gillian and Jonathan feature in this video - as Boardroom Apprentices they brought so much to the
@daera_ni
and
@deptinfra
boards and it was a real privilege to work with them
We were delighted to have
@UFUpresident
David Brown, Richard Primrose from title sponsor
@bankofireland
& Katrina Godfrey
@DAERAPermSec
join the McGowan family for the final day of Bank of Ireland Open Farm Weekend @ Millbank Farm. A beautiful day to end an action packed weekend!
Great to mark
#bookweekni
with a visit to Saintfield library. A big thank you to the staff for sorting me with a new PIN while I was there, Today’s theme is our wide and wonderful world so I’m featuring a childhood favourite from Sweden 🇸🇪 📚
It was wonderful to meet (virtually) my fantastic
@SistersIN_HQ
mentee for the first time today and to talk together about government, the media and women in leadership and how we might work together over the next few months
@ashfield_girls
#womeninleadership
#payitforward
Such sad news. I had the privilege of working with Joan through many years in
@Education_NI
and also through her involvement with
@ggulster
. She had such integrity & grace and took an interest in everyone she met, especially young people. My thoughts & prayers are with her family
It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Mrs Joan Christie, CVO, OBE, Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of
#CountyAntrim
from 2008-2019. Our thoughts and prayers are with Joan’s family. May she rest in peace and rise in glory
AI disease control restriction zones are now in place in Fermanagh - it’s even more important than ever for flock keepers to review and where necessary improve biosecurity. More details below.
Huge thanks to colleagues
@VLAM_be
@DepartementLV
for facilitating a St Patrick’s afternoon visit to a pig farm where we had a great discussion with Bart about low emission farming and his use of technology.
Our warmest congratulations to Pat McTeague who has been a welcoming face to many at
@DiscoverCAFRE
, to our former colleague
@joepbreen
and to everyone from the environment, farming & food sectors whose service & commitment have been recognised in the 2023 NY Honours list 👏👏👏
It’s been a busy first 24 hours at my first ever visit to the
@NPAIE
in Co Laois. Great to meet the NI competitors in both national & world ploughing championships and also to spend time this morning discussing shared challenges & opportunities with Michael Murphy,
@Bordbia
CEO.
I’m really looking forward to working with Frances, Laura and Patrick and benefitting from the expertise, challenge and support that they will bring to the board
👇
On behalf of The Northern Ireland Civil Service Board I am pleased to announce the appointment of three Non-Executive members for the first time.
More information:
A big thank you to our team for the clean up work they did earlier this week and for the work they do every day. Their pride in their work & their commitment to welcoming people to Crawfordsburn Country Park while also working with them to protect its natural heritage is evident
Commending the efforts of
@daera_ni
staff in the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, who worked until 2am cleaning up Crawfordsburn Country Park after an influx of visitors.
Thank you to Colin for sharing some info about the important role he plays (also shows the diversity of the jobs we offer) and Happy
#InternationalMensDay
to colleagues across the NICS.
Congratulations from everyone
@daera_ni
to the many NI people who have been recognised in the 2024
#NewYearsHonours
list, particularly those recognised for their commitment and service to our environment and our marine, agri-food, farming and fishing sectors.
Great to see our brilliant Digital Services Team recognised for their hard work to support delivery of the innovative Soil Nutrient Health Scheme
#SNHS
Good luck for tomorrow night, team!🤞🏻⭐️
DAERA Digital Services have been shortlisted for
@BelTel
IT Award for IT Project of the Year for
#SoilNutrientHealthScheme
. The ceremony will be held tomorrow night
@TheMACBelfast
👍We want to wish our team best of luck & thanks them for all their hard work to deliver the project
Meet our successful 2023 policy fellows👏:
Fellows will work in government departments and What Works Centres to help tackle important national and global challenges.
@ESRC
@ahrcpress
@BBSRC
Thank you to Shane Logan & team at
@BrysonRecycling
for welcoming us to their Mallusk site today for a really useful discussion about waste, recycling, carbon reduction & green growth
Thank you so much to Joanna - some really powerful reflections here about the personal significance to her of
#InternationalWomensDay
and the importance of role models 👏💜
Huge thanks to Michelle - what a great insight into the brilliant work you do
@DiscoverCAFRE
(and glad to see my favourite 🐘 featuring in the background!) 👏💜
#IWD
As Chair of the NICS Board I am seeking up to 3 experienced non-executive members to join us. Play your part in delivering better outcomes for the people we serve.
@jaynecbrady
Proud to have seen first hand the contribution our NICS engineers make to our public services - we’ll need their skills and solutions even more in the years ahead as we work to deliver our
#climatechange
obligations and encourage
#greengrowth
#NationalEngineeringDay