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Northern Ireland environment minister proposes independent green regulator 

by Karma Loveday

Northern Ireland’s new minister of agriculture, environment and rural affairs, the Alliance Party’s Andrew Muir, has committed to producing an environment strategy and to champion the creation of an independent environmental protection agency.


Speaking during a debate on Lough Neagh in the newly restored Northern Ireland Executive last week, Muir said: “In the next few weeks, I will bring to the executive a new environment strategy that I will propose to be adopted as Northern Ireland's first environmental improvement plan. It will take a strategic approach to all the issues facing our environment.”


He also shared: “Members will be aware that it is a long-standing commitment of the Alliance Party and me, personally, to establish an independent environmental protection agency. We have to ask ourselves whether, if that agency had been established many years ago, we would be having this debate today…As a first step, I have asked officials to commence an environmental governance review, which is particularly important as a result of our exit from the EU, to understand where we are and to move forward.”


The Lough Neagh debate was brought by Sinn Fein’s, Philip McGuigan: “That this assembly:

  • recognises the vital importance of Lough Neagh to our environment, ecology and drinking water supply;

  • further recognises its importance to tourism, fishing and leisure activities in local communities surrounding the lough;

  • notes with grave concern the ecological damage caused by the blue-green algae bloom last summer that choked the lough and spread throughout our waterways and beaches;

  • calls for a cross-departmental body to be set up to address the immediate issues facing Lough Neagh; and

  • further calls on the executive to put in place a new management structure and plan to include input from communities and organisations with an interest in the welfare of the lough, so that it can be managed, protected and promoted in the interest of all.” 


McGuigan further argued: “Despite the cross-departmental nature of the structure, we believe that  one executive minister needs to be responsible and, therefore, accountable for its work.” And that “a rescue package and plan for Lough Neagh is properly resourced by both a financial recovery package and the necessary personnel to take the agreed actions forward in the departments.”


Muir said a cross-departmental water quality steering group is in the process of drafting a set of evidence-based recommendations to tackle blue-green algae in Lough Neagh and secure longer-term improvements in water quality. He further confirmed his intention to establish an inter-agency water body to engage with all interested public and stakeholder bodies on the improvement of water quality as part of the Lough Neagh report. 


The lough supplies half of Belfast's and 40% of Northern Ireland's overall drinking water requirement.

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