With a shift in emphasis away from policies which concern mainly the traditional agricultural activities and towards those which address the social dimension of farm families, it became evident that there were significant gaps in the information basis on which decisions were taken. This gap was highlighted by two Northern Ireland initiatives, namely Targeting Social Need and the obligation, set out in Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act, requiring Departments to have due regard to the need to promote Equality of Opportunity. To fill these needs the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) set up a working group which included representatives from the Training & Employment Agency and the Health & Safety Executive for Northern Ireland to conduct a social survey of farmers and farm families. The proposed contents of the survey were discussed with representatives of the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU), Northern Ireland Agricultural Producers Association (NIAPA), the Rural Development Council, the Rural Community Network and Family Farm Development. Before the interviews began Members of the Assembly Agriculture Committee were briefed on the work and they, as did all those who were consulted, expressed their support for the initiative.