Debate contribution: Lough Neagh Rescue Plan
Debate contribution by Mr Declan Kearney on .
- MLA
- Mr Declan Kearney
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 13 February 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Private Members' Business
- Heading
- Lough Neagh Rescue Plan
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4206500
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Cuirim fáilte roimh an díospóireacht an-tábhachtach seo, nó ní ceist réigiúnach amháin í seo ach ceist náisiúnta.
Almost two years ago, I stood in a field off the Creggan Road in early spring, and what was remarkable was the fact that there were no flies in field. It was not more than 600 or 700 yards away from the shoreline. It was apparent to me that something very abnormal was happening at that time. I walked up the road and went into the home of a fisherman friend, and he confirmed to me that there had been no flies or midges on the lough, that the water column of the lough, as far back as two years ago, was absolutely crystal clear and that this had never been seen in two or three generations. In the same period, dogs died on the lough shore at Rea's Wood, just around the shoreline above Antrim town. No explanation was provided at that time for the death of the animals, but it was clear that there was a correlation with what was happening in the lough and that it was something profoundly abnormal. The crisis on Lough Neagh did not happen last year. It has been building as an ecological catastrophe for a significant period, and what happened last spring and summer is simply the culmination of a perfect storm of multifactorial conditions. Lough Neagh is not just a place of great beauty and is not only a national treasure; it is something that cherishes and is home to a fantastic biodiversity, and, at this time, that biodiversity and the natural habitat of the lough is being directly challenged. The work that has been done to repopulate the shore with the curlew species is now being threatened as a direct consequence of what is happening. However, the issue is greater than that. Many fishermen depend on Lough Neagh for their livelihood. Last year, the eel fishing season, which should have lasted six months, was reduced to two months. That is the human reality of what we are now contending with. Multiple factors have given rise to this catastrophe, and there are multiple consequences. Therefore, a whole-of-government approach is required. The lack of investment in waste water treatment is a contributory factor in what is happening. In my constituency, at Cranfield, just fields away from the shoreline, the waste water treatment infrastructure does not have the capacity to serve the growing population in the Creggan hamlet, so an urgent reset is required. We need a coordinated policy intervention, and we need to see, as proposed in the motion, an interdepartmental action plan. Lough Neagh must now become, for our Assembly, an environmental, ecological, infrastructural and economic priority going forward. I welcome warmly the cross-party interventions that have been made by colleagues today. Ní mór dúinn smacht a chur ar an tubaiste éiceolaíoch seo. Gabhaim buíochas le gach Comhalta a ghlac páirt sa díospóireacht inniu.
I very much welcome the contributions by colleagues right across the House. The Alliance Party amendment is very welcome. I agree with the need to introduce tighter sanctions for those who are polluting the lough, and we need to see processing interventions introduced in relation to how feedstuffs are produced and how fertilisers are developed. DUP colleagues questioned some of the scientific analysis, but I appreciate that, overall, they acknowledged the need for cross-party engagement and intervention on the issue. Colleagues from the UUP spoke about the need for accountability and also concurred with the need for greater coordination. SDLP colleagues spoke about the need for interdepartmental focus and also reiterated the multifactorial roots of this crisis. A contributor from my party re-emphasised the importance of public ownership as a priority for how we proceed. In conclusion, Alliance colleagues spoke of the economic repercussions that flow from this ecological catastrophe and the need for an integrated management plan. I commend the new Minister's ambition in planning to lap the lough in August.
More seriously, Minister, I genuinely commend and welcome your solution-focused remarks in response to the debate.
Over the course of several months now, I have had the pleasure of working directly with NIEA and DAERA officials alongside other stakeholders associated with the lough. We had meetings in Toomebridge in September and follow-up meetings in late December. Those meetings were with NIEA and DAERA officials and a number of stakeholders who came together with me, including local fishermen and anglers, local residents and people who own land around the lough. We will share proposals with the NIEA and DAERA officials who attended those meetings at a follow-up meeting shortly. I trust that those views will be shared directly with the Minister's private office. Minister, it is essential that democratic consultation and partnership characterise how we move forward. That means democratic consultation and partnership with the lough shore community. The experience and views of fishing families, residents, community groups and non-governmental organisations, such as the Lough Neagh Partnership, must be heard and taken on board as we formulate the interventions that are urgently required. Saving Lough Neagh must be above party politics in the Chamber. We need an all-party and cross-governmental approach to getting on top of the catastrophe. How we move forward requires, as I said, a cross-governmental, cross-party approach. To the Minister who is present and other Ministers, I say: we require investment. We need a joined-up strategy and action plan, and that must be founded on local partnership with the people who live by the lough and rely on it for their livelihoods. Mar fhocal scoir
, a new approach is required for how we rescue Lough Neagh and protect it in the future. That will, ultimately, be found through the mechanism of public ownership.
965 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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