The north’s largest farm lobby group has said it will be “taking time to review” the Stormont executive’s Lough Neagh rehabilitation plan and that many of the proposed measures “will require a formal consultation”.
The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) said consulting on Agriculture and Environment Minister Andrew Muir’s cross-cutting, 37-point ‘action plan’, which was signed-off by the executive this month, will “provide a major opportunity to properly scrutinise and comment on the proposals”.
The union said it wanted to ensure a “fair and proportionate response to the water quality challenges that we are facing”.
Speaking to The Irish News last week, Mr Muir said it was important to address Lough Neagh’s deteriorating water quality “at pace”.
Several measures in the Stormont rehabilitation plan are designed to mitigate the impact of run-off from manure slurry and other agricultural fertilisers, which are the primary cause of pollution in Ireland’s largest fresh water lake.
However, some critics have said the plan doesn’t go far enough in curbing slurry spreading in the expansive Lough Neagh catchment.
“When reporting on environmental issues including the Lough Neagh blue/green algae crisis, the media tend to be very quick to point the finger at agriculture which is extremely disheartening for our members,” UFU deputy president John McLenaghan said.
“It needs to be recognised that farmers live and work in the countryside, and the health of our local landscape is paramount not only to their business but to their own wellbeing.”
Mr McLenaghan said many of the plan’s recommendations will “impact agriculture” and therefore require a formal consultation.
“Therefore, this will provide a major opportunity to properly scrutinise and comment on the proposals over the coming months, ensuring a fair and proportionate response to the water quality challenges that we are facing.
“The UFU has repeatedly, and will continue to highlight the positive work that has been undertaken by local farmers.”
