Debate contribution: Nutrients Action Programme 2026-29: Opposition

Debate contribution by Ms Aoife Finnegan on 10 June 2025.

MLA

Ms Aoife Finnegan

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

10 June 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Nutrients Action Programme 2026-29: Opposition

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5001165

Read the official Assembly record

Text

As a Sinn Féin representative for Newry and Armagh, I support the motion and speak on behalf of the family farms that play such an important role in helping to protect our natural environment. They deserve to have sustainable livelihoods during this impactful time of transition. My constituency has many small farms. They are the economic backbone of our rural community and have suffered from the challenges posed by climate change and the pollution of the environment. They want to help. It is in their interests, as much as anyone else's, to do so. It benefits every single one of us to tackle the unacceptable levels of pollution in our environment and the very real threat of climate change that is upon us. It benefits everyone to clean up the water in our loughs and rivers, especially in Lough Neagh, from which 40% of the North's drinking water comes. It benefits everyone in the Chamber, every household and every family farm to have a source of clean drinking water. It is clear that many challenges arise from the continued outworkings of multiple factors, which have caused the pollution of the lough and the destruction of its natural habitats and biodiversity.

Not at the minute. Protecting our environment and Lough Neagh are critical priorities for Sinn Féin. Sinn Féin firmly supports tackling the issues that harm our natural environment and wants to support the Minister as he does so. I extend solidarity, personally and on behalf of my party, to Minister Muir and call out the online abuse that he recently received over the issue: it was abhorrent and unacceptable. Whilst we have healthy debates and disagreements in the Chamber with the intention of making our policies better, it is wrong to abuse and bully in any format. That toxic behaviour must be called out, especially by political leaders and representatives. Let me be clear: Sinn Féin wants to support the Minister in creating initiatives to protect the environment and the future of Lough Neagh. Sinn Féin also wants a nutrients action plan, but it must be workable, realistic and fair. The current nutrients action programme proposals have the potential to be extremely harmful, especially to the livelihoods of small family farms that are already overexerted by regulation and ongoing rising costs. Unfortunately, the consultation process has been a missed opportunity. It is disappointing that the Minister's approach has led to the programme being undeliverable.

There was not enough consultation of our farming communities or consideration of the disproportionate cost that will be imposed on smaller farmers, who would need to purchase very expensive — for many, unaffordable — equipment to deliver the action programme, or be at risk of huge penalties. I will add that that machinery is unsuitable for small farms and hill farms in areas of natural constraint (ANC), particularly in my area of south Armagh. I am reminded of the Rural Needs Act 2016, which requires us to consider the social and economic needs of our rural areas. Sinn Féin is up for the work and for working together as we endeavour to tackle the climate crisis, but we want to ensure that the transition is fair, just and affordable, especially for the communities that are most affected by it, which have an important role to play. It is imperative that the environmental damage to some of our inland waterways, such as Lough Neagh, be addressed. Our farming communities are vital and willing stakeholders and should be treated as such. I therefore call on the Minister to review the consultation and work towards a more deliverable action plan that will deliver on the ambitions to protect our natural environment and clean up our drinking water for the benefit of all: a plan that works with our farming communities and includes proper support for farmers to transition fairly and carry out the necessary actions in a realistic time frame.

651 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:42 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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