Stormont’s Agriculture and Environment Minister, Andrew Muir, is said to be on the verge of approving a range of actions to address the issues facing Lough Neagh. The Lough Neagh Report and Action Plan has been under the consideration of the Northern Ireland Executive since mid-June. However, ministerial agreement has not yet been reached.
Several facets of the plan require executive approval before they can be implemented, but it is understood that advisors have given the go-ahead for some actions that fall under Mr Muir’s department. These include programmes aimed at supporting farmers, a research initiative, and a tree-planting project.
It has been reported that the Earl of Shaftesbury expressed a desire to transfer ownership of the lough bed to a charitable or community trust model. However, this issue has not been included in the report and action plan, and Mr Muir has yet to meet with the Earl regarding this matter.
While blue-green algae was detected in various locations around the lough and other areas of Northern Ireland, it has not yet caused the large-scale bloom events that led to bathing bans in some places last year. Nevertheless, experts agree that another crisis similar to the one that occurred in 2023 could potentially happen under the right weather conditions.
Mr Muir will be outlining his plans with respect to the Lough Neagh Report and Action Plan before the Northern Ireland Assembly today
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