Debate contribution: Lough Neagh

Debate contribution by Mr Patsy McGlone on 9 September 2025.

MLA

Mr Patsy McGlone

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

9 September 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Lough Neagh

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5086735

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Last night, I was, I think, the only MLA who attended a meeting in Moortown at Kinturk cultural centre. That is exactly the sort of stuff that people there said that they did not want to hear: ping-ponging back and forward on ideological grounds; you blame, he blames, she blames. No disrespect, Jonny, but the message from the hundred-odd people in that room was unanimously clear. I am a lifelong resident of the lough shore. I have represented the area for 32 years. I know and respect the views of the people whom I spoke to last night. One man told me that he was thinking of moving out of his house this summer because of the stink that was coming off the lough.

There were wildfowlers there last night who were afraid to take their dogs out to the lough on the first morning of the shooting season. There were families and young people there who are deeply concerned about the quality of the water supply. They were concerned for themselves, their families and the very animals in the agriculture sector that we are talking about. The clear message from the people at the meeting was that they do not want arguments. They want action, and they want us to get on with taking it. Brown eel fishing closed down during the summer. The brown eel is a symbol of the Lough Neagh economy, but it is also a cultural symbol. It is a symbol of the resistance of Irish fishermen, who took to the courts to establish their right to fish their own lough. It is a crying shame to see that industry evaporating before our very eyes. There were fishermen there last night, and I hope to hear from the Minister about support for the fishing industry. It is a crying shame to see what is happening on our lough. That cultural symbol of Lough Neagh and the island is disappearing. Everything that the public are seeing demands action, but it must be the right kind of action and be collaborative. It is a complex crisis that requires partnership, innovation and shared responsibility across all sectors. I want the Minister to clarify whether he is getting support from his Executive colleagues. Are they are ponying up? Are they giving him the money to support the farming community, the fishing community, new methods of on-farm practice and other methods and innovative measures, scientific and otherwise, that will be required to reassert the ecological and environmental value of Lough Neagh?

Sure.

Totally. We need to hear NI Water's proposals and about the departmental drive behind those proposals, from an investment and a scientific point of view. The methodology of monitoring the water supply came up at the meeting last night as well. Furthermore, monitoring what is being ingested by humans definitely came up last night. The only way in which to address all that is by drastically reducing the excessive levels of nutrients — phosphorus and nitrogen — in the lough. Over 60% of the phosphorus in the water originates from agriculture, while one third comes from waste water treatment facilities and septic tanks. On the issue of agriculture, I need to emphasise the point that much has been made of farming in the debate. God knows that those of us who try to work with and support farmers do our simple best for them. That is why the Assembly and the Executive need to step up to the plate and support those farmers who are willing to conserve our environment and are committed to doing so. I have to mention one thing, and it is a fact. Moy Park is owned by a US multinational company. It is not a local company. Its profits rose by 151% in 2023. Can anyone name any farmer whose profits rose by 151% in 2023, or in any other year for that matter? There is not a pup's chance. In the meantime, however, there have been hundreds of breaches of legal limits of environmental pollutants by that same company. Please square that circle for me. Our approach recognises the urgency of the environmental situation, but it also acknowledges the realities on the ground. In addition to the necessary upgrades to the waste water and sewage network — we have already spoken about that — any sustainable policy must be co-designed and must not be imposed. That is the only way in which we can achieve lasting change. It must include key issues, such as collaboration, education, support and financial incentivisation. Again, it is back to the Minister to advise whether that support is forthcoming —

— or whether it is just empty words.

Sorry, am I —?

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

Assessment

Not flagged

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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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