Campaigners will call for urgent action to tackle the pollution of Lough Neagh during a protest on Antrim’s shores this weekend.
Organised by the Save Lough Neagh campaign, the ‘Loughshore Stands Up’ demonstration aims to urge the Stormont Executive to “urgently fulfil its promise to tackle pollution” at the lough.
Campaign spokesperson Pádraig Cairns said “there is no time for excuses”.
Last summer noxious blooms covered large parts of the lough and affected other waterways and beaches in the region.
There are fears the blue-green algae will return this summer.
Contributing factors are believed to include nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural fertiliser running off fields, the spread of the invasive zebra mussel species and climate change, with the highest water temperature at Lough Neagh recorded last June.
It also comes amid fears that work to tackle pollution problems at Lough Neagh may have to be paused due to a budget shortfall.
Agriculture and Environment minister Andrew Muir last month said there was a need to “get real” about environment issues in Northern Ireland.
He has also previously warned that there are no quick fixes and addressing it will require some difficult interventions.
But on Sunday, campaigners will gather to call for action from Stormont ministers.
“We are calling on the Stormont Executive to urgently fulfil its promise to tackle pollution at Lough Neagh,” said Mr Cairns.
“Every day that the DAERA minister delays compounds the environmental catastrophe that is unfolding.
“There is no time for excuses.
“Budget cuts might satisfy the Exchequer, but they could prove cataclysmic when it comes to the loss of biodiversity and the continued poisoning of our drinking water at Lough Neagh.
“While the government must prioritise the funding required to sort Lough Neagh, there are steps that could be taken by the DAERA minister in the immediate term.
“He could start by taking Lough Neagh into public ownership and end the harmful sand dredging that is stirring up nutrients and fuelling toxic algal blooms.
“He could end the financial incentives for industrial farming, like the disastrous Going for Growth scheme.
“Finally, the minister must establish an Independent Environmental Protection Agency to finally hold polluters to account.
“We would encourage everyone affected by these issues and everyone concerned with the protection of Lough Neagh to join the protest on Sunday.”
The demonstration is due to begin at the Finn McCool statue in Antrim town on Sunday at 2pm.
The Loughshore Stands Up! Almost a year on from the onset of the crisis at Lough Neagh, and three months since the...
Posted by Save Lough Neagh on Wednesday 24 April 2024
