Debate contribution: Lough Neagh

Debate contribution by Mr Andrew McMurray on 9 September 2025.

MLA

Mr Andrew McMurray

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

9 September 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Lough Neagh

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5086675

Read the official Assembly record

Text

At the start, I want to make it clear that the burden of solving Lough Neagh cannot be borne by DAERA alone. It is incumbent on the whole Executive and everyone in the Chamber to help deliver the Programme for Government commitment to protect Lough Neagh. While agriculture undoubtedly must play its part, we cannot address the issue without addressing our failing waste water infrastructure. It is time for an Infrastructure Minister to stop the sticking-plaster approach and solve the waste water and sewage crisis flowing into our waterways. That said, I will start with Minister Muir's efforts to address agriculture's contribution to the blue-green algae blooms that are blighting Lough Neagh and state for the record how other parties have failed to back him. That includes necessary actions, such as reversing the cap on cross-compliance penalties for repeat offenders, which was brought in by his DUP predecessor. That was an important moment that should have signalled the Assembly's support for ensuring that there are consequences for pollution, yet it was blocked by other Executive parties, and, regrettably, the SDLP did not support the Minister at that juncture. That said, the Opposition changed course later in the summer when Sinn Féin, the DUP and the UUP called for the Minister to abandon his consultation on the nutrients action programme. The aforementioned parties did not want to begin talking about the NAP. They wanted to scrap the NAP and the conversation that went with it as an opportunity to seek remedies. Thankfully, the Minister was not deterred, and the nutrients action programme consultation went ahead and, regardless, has now concluded. I welcome the fact that the Minister is now moving forward with a stakeholder group of environmental and agricultural representatives to develop revised proposals. Finalised proposals will be put to further consultation before being brought through the Executive for consideration. I hope that Executive parties and the Opposition will rally around the Minister in this opportunity to be constructive and find solutions that are workable at farm level. It is too important an issue to play politics with, so, rather than cheap political point-scoring and stoking angst, all parties need to do the right thing, recognise the urgency of the situation and get behind the necessary actions. It is obvious that the ecological and environmental balance of the lough is off-kilter, but we in the Chamber and the Executive have a responsibility to lead on what the Minister is doing. All parties like to highlight the plight of Lough Neagh, but sometimes the rhetoric does not marry up with their actions. The Minister has stressed a number of big-ticket items that he is to bring forward, which will truly test the Executive and other Members in the Chamber on how committed they are to solving the issue. The first has been touched on already around agreeing proposals for the nutrients action programme. In addition to that, it is strengthening the environmental governance through the establishment of an independent environmental protection agency (EPA), agreeing a final climate action plan and supporting his new fisheries and water environment Bill. Finally, we cannot think about solving the crisis in Lough Neagh and our waterways in general without thinking about sewage and waste water infrastructure. Minister Muir has been clear about his desire to strengthen the regulation and enforcement of sewage pollution being pumped into our waterways. It is totally unacceptable that the Infrastructure Minister refuses to tackle that head-on and reverse the disgraceful situation where raw sewage is being pumped into our waterways. Our waste water systems are failing, and there are all the environmental and economic consequences that go with that, yet the Minister refuses to tackle NI Water's governance and finances. All sectors must play a part in tackling the crisis. The farmers whom I speak to expect fairness. They are dismayed at the fact that the Infrastructure Minister refuses to step up to the plate and tackle waste water infrastructure. She needs to look at better solutions and make the difficult decisions within her remit without delay. This is not only about Lough Neagh, as the motion acknowledges. My South Down constituency does not border the lough, but we see the same issues in some of our fresh waterbodies, not least Castlewellan lake. I am also conscious of the fact that the headwaters of the River Bann are in my constituency. As is well noted, our rivers are in poor ecological health, and some of our rivers and streams are distilled into Lough Neagh. The environment, by its very nature, is connected. I have had the opportunity to sponsor events in the Building highlighting the work of the Clean Water Sports Alliance. That the motion seeks to highlight the societal impacts of the issue is important. Angling, open-water swimming, canoeing, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, rowing, sailing and triathlon are the sports that make up the alliance, and those sports have been adversely affected by the state of our waterways. It is an issue for all of Northern Ireland, and we urgently need the Executive and the parties that are in opposition to play their part.

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

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:05 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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