Farmers’ group backing for A&E

Farmers’ group backing for A&E

2 July 2025

A LEADING farmers’ organisation is backing a campaign for the restoration of 24-hour emergency services at the Downe Hospital.

Local members of the Farmers For Action (FFA) Steering Committee signed a petition calling for the service to be restored when they met with members of the Down Community Health Committee.

In May, health campaigners launched the petition calling for the return of around-the-clock emergency provision at the Downpatrick hospital, with local politicians also weighing in with their support and plan to lobby for the return of the hospital’s 24-hour emergency department at Assembly level.

Just over 10 years ago, 25,000 people took to the streets of Downpatrick demanding the retention and enhancement of frontline services at the hospital.

Campaigners say the community’s resolve in fighting for what it believes is rightly deserved remains as undiminished as ever, with politicians insisting the petition will galvanise the resolve of local people to campaign for the return of a service.

The public, campaigners and politicians argue the return of 24-hour A&E services to the Downe has the ability to reduce lengthy waiting times at the emergency department at the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald where the overwhelming majority of local people are taken.

Campaigners no longer want to see local people driven past the Downe to wait 12 hours in the Ulster’s emergency department or left outside in an ambulance as overworked medical staff struggle to cope with the volume of patients.

They want the front door of the Downpatrick hospital to be open, with people not forced to telephone first for someone to determine if they will be admitted or not.

FFA are calling for MLAs to “collectively up their performance” on major issues affecting rural Northern Ireland, including health care and education provision, particularly in the field of special need and school closures.

The farmers’ group has welcomed support for the Downe Hospital campaign from Baroness Margaret Ritchie and South Down MLA Colin McGrath, who met with its representatives when they signed the petition.

FFA said the reopening of the 24-hour emergency department is the very least the local rural community deserves, given the taxes they have paid.

William Taylor said there were a small number of politicians doing their best on rural affairs, but were being “drowned out by the vast majority of non-performing MLAs”.

He continued: “Concerns for rural hospitals across Northern Ireland is growing by the day with six health trusts and Department of Health continuing to shut down available services.

“This is now costing lives, with a recent damning statement by a top hospital consultant that there aren’t even enough toilets in A&E’s, alongside totally unacceptable waiting times, making it an impossible situation for staff to work in which is costing lives.

“We are calling for the immediate dismissal of Northern Ireland health trusts which would save £80m plus inflation annually. This money could fund the reinstatement and enhancing of services at rural hospitals and properly staffing them.”

Mr Taylor said there is an absence of strong debates on key issues at Stormont to address the “damning situation in Northern Ireland’s hospitals” which is driven by the “absolute waste of money” by all health trusts in the cost of running them.

“Their incompetent delivery is unforgivable,” he declared.

Mr Taylor has also labelled the state of Northern Ireland’s rural roads as an “absolute disgrace” which, he argued, is causing accidents, with some ‘stop’ signs covered by overgrown hedges/

He said grass verges are not trimmed with roads littered with “potholes” with rough roads requiring their foundations repaired and resurfaced.  

Mr Taylor said family famers in rural Northern Ireland are literally being blamed for everything from climate change to bovine TB, yet expected to put food on the table.

He added: “Farmers For Action is calling for MLAs to wake up and smell the coffee and stop wasting millions of taxpayers money by not tackling BTB.