The Rivers Trust welcomes the official launch of the long-awaited publication of the Lough Neagh Action Plan, approved last week by the Northern Ireland Executive, highlighting that this plan is a significant step towards the urgent and long-term rehabilitation of water quality in the Lough.
The 37-point plan, driven by DAERA Minister Andrew Muir, is a comprehensive approach to tackling the critical environmental challenges this vital water body faces. However, The Rivers Trust is highlighting that swift action is needed to bring about the required change.
The Rivers Trust is already active in several catchments surrounding Lough Neagh, delivering on-farm interventions and water-friendly agricultural advice as part of the DAERA-funded Sustainable Catchment Programme to reduce or stop pollution at its source.
The Rivers Trust All-Ireland Director Mark Horton expressed his support for the Lough Neagh plan: "We support many of the steps outlined in this initiative. However, the success of this plan hinges on effective delivery, adequate resourcing, and sustained investment. Words on paper alone do not bring about environmental change; swift and urgent action is now needed to stop and reverse Lough Neagh’s decline.”
"We encouraged that the Minister's plan highlights multiple critical areas such as education, incentivisation, regulation, enforcement, science, and governance. The proposed initiatives will build on existing water and nature-friendly farming schemes and seek to educate and engage everyone in these critical actions."
The science-backed recovery plan has the potential to address the combined causes of the growth of blue-green algae, which was exacerbated last year by nutrient and wastewater pollution, higher water temperatures, and invasive zebra mussels. The plan's four pillars—Education, Investment/Incentive/Innovation, Regulation, and Enforcement—cover a range of actions, including agricultural measures, water-friendly farm interventions, public education initiatives, and more robust legal sanctions to protect Northern Ireland’s freshwater environment.
"We support the overall direction of the action plan and welcome Minister Muir’s genuine personal commitment to finding solutions. Its success will depend heavily on effective implementation, adequate long-term investment, and greater collaboration by the Government and the general public to get behind this plan and other initiatives aimed at reducing environmental pressures. This means buy-in from all political parties working together to protect the vital shared resource of a clean, healthy, and safe freshwater environment," Mark continued.
"It is important to remember this is not a one-off project where we can say 'job done' at the end of it. Protecting Lough Neagh and the wider water environment is an ongoing process, and it needs to be effective at every level, with everyone in Northern Ireland playing their part because we all use and depend on it to survive.
"As the Minister has made clear, addressing the environmental issues at Lough Neagh is not a task that can be achieved overnight. It is a problem long in the making, and thus, its solutions require a long-term commitment in terms of political support and financial investment. We have a unique opportunity to learn from current and past mistakes and create future policies that are both innovative and sustainable."
The Rivers Trust stresses the importance of balancing economic needs with environmental sustainability. The plan's regulatory actions must be co-designed with the environment sector to prevent control by vested interests and ensure that policies are effective and equitable. Broad stakeholder engagement is crucial to creating a regulatory framework that genuinely benefits the environment.
"We urge all stakeholders to support these initiatives and help co-design and deliver policies and regulations that protect our natural resources. Working together, we can turn the tide for the health of Lough Neagh, improve and protect our natural environment, and support a flourishing local economy. It’s a balancing act we can’t afford to get wrong anymore, or one or even both will crash."
"While there is much work to be done, the action plan for Lough Neagh represents a significant and positive first step. The Rivers Trust is proud to be a partner in finding solutions to this complex problem that impacts Lough Neagh and the wider Northern Ireland freshwater environment.
Mark concluded: The Rivers Trust has seen the value of supporting and collaborating with local communities, landowners, DAERA, and all stakeholders. This partnership approach will be needed to make this plan a reality. We are confident that with the collective skills, knowledge, and commitment at our disposal, working together as a society, we can create a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable future for Lough Neagh and Northern Ireland."
