Debate contribution: Energy, Food and Environmental Security: Biomethane

Debate contribution by Mr Robbie Butler on 20 April 2026.

MLA

Mr Robbie Butler

Party at the time

Ulster Unionist Party

Date

20 April 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Energy, Food and Environmental Security: Biomethane

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5494102

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I beg to move

Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. We may have set a world record with the length of the motion. That is not by luck but by design, because this is a really important topic that we must grasp. It is an opportunity for Northern Ireland, because Northern Ireland is tied up. It is being held up not in some abstract way but in a way that people feel every day. They feel it in their heating bills, on their farms, particularly, and in the pressure on our shared environment. For too long, Northern Ireland has been exposed. It has been exposed to global energy shocks, to supply chain disruption and to decisions made far beyond this place that we cannot interfere with. We have got used to being price takers. That is the reality, but here is the thing: at the exact moment that energy security is becoming one of the biggest global issues, Northern Ireland is, in fact, sitting on an opportunity. It is not imported, and it is not theoretical; it is right here. I will be clear from the start. I am not suggesting in any sense that anaerobic digestion (AD) is a silver bullet. It will not fix everything, but it will be part of our solution if we treat it like a tool. Like a penknife, if used carefully and properly, it can do a lot of good. Used badly, it can cause harm. Used well, it can genuinely help to transform Northern Ireland, because this is not just about energy. It is about how everything connects: food security, energy security and environmental protection. Farming does not sit in isolation, and we should not pretend that it does. I cannot think of a better example of a workable circular economy. Look at what we already have. Every year, we produce around 10 million tons of slurry, poultry litter and food waste. For years, we have viewed and treated that as a problem — something to manage and limit — but, if we flip it, it is a resource that can produce biomethane, which is a gas that we can put straight into the network that we already have. That bit matters. We have already invested over £1 billion in that network. It is there; it works; and it can take renewable gas without people needing to change boilers or even lift a finger. That puts us ahead of the rest of these islands. I am sure that many hear and see the seemingly trendy strapline of "Drill, baby, drill", but those who chant that mantra need to accept that drilling will not manage our waste, reduce our nutrient pressures or protect our farmers. If we are serious about resilience, we need solutions that do all three. To do that, we need to be honest, clear and accurate. Let us think about the scale of what we are dealing with. We have in the region of 1·6 million to 1·8 million cows or cattle, around 1·8 million sheep, around 26 million chickens and poultry and around 1·6 million pigs, but we have only around 1 million hectares of agricultural land. That adds up to some pressures. We are dealing with a phosphorus surplus running into the thousands of tons, and a significant number of farms are operating at or above the 170 kg nitrogen limit. Farmers are being squeezed. They are being threatened with reductions in stock and are being asked to find more land, which simply does not exist. Our exports are coming under significant pressure.

None of those pressures is easy. They are real, everyday pressures for our farmers. Anybody working in that sector will understand that our farmers are under significant pressure. The biggest issue that we have to deal with is not energy; it is how we deal with food waste. Anaerobic digestion gives us a way to process it, stabilise it, reduce emissions and, critically, move nutrients to where they are needed. That is not theory; it is practical, and it is working today. Let me be really clear, because people, including farmers in particular, are rightly concerned: this cannot become a land grab, and we will not let it. Around a third of our land is farmed under conacre, which involves short-term land agreements. That alone puts a natural limit on large-scale crop growing. Beyond that, the policy direction must be clear: this is about waste, slurry, manure and food waste. It is not about growing crops for profit at the expense of food production. If we get that bit wrong, we will create a new problem instead of solving the one that we have. As we know well at the moment, Northern Ireland is exposed when it comes to energy. We rely on imports and a single interconnector, and we rely heavily on heating oil. When prices spike globally, we feel it immediately. There is no buffer. Farmers feel it three times over: in the price of fuel, the price of fertiliser and the price of feed. Biomethane does not solve all three, but it helps because it is indigenous — it is produced here. It keeps value in our economy, including, crucially, our rural economy, which really matters. The potential is real. Research suggests that we could significantly offset and potentially match current gas demand. We could deliver around 3·5 terawatt-hours of energy, which is a major share of what industry and businesses use. That is not small or insignificant; it is meaningful. What matters most is that that connects energy and food. If farming is not viable, we lose food security; if nutrients are not managed, we lose farming; and, if energy is not stable, everything becomes harder. It is one system, and there is a real opportunity for rural communities. It is not about outside companies coming in. It works best when it is local, by which I mean farmer-led cooperative models that would keep the value where it is created and give farmers another option, rather than adding another burden. There would be real day-to-day benefits, including less pressure on slurry storage, less risk of pollution and less reliance on trying to catch that one perfect day to spread the stuff. As we have seen this year with our incredibly wet winter, being too wet or too dry is not just frustrating; it adds significant stress. We need to do it right. There needs to be strong regulation, clear rules and proper oversight, and support that is stable and sensible. It cannot repeat past mistakes; it has to build trust, and it has to be joined up. Energy, agriculture and environment have to work together, because that is the reality of the problem that we face. The choice is pretty simple: do we stay as we are, exposed to global and political volatility and reactive and dependent, or do we take a step forward to something that is more resilient and indigenous? Even if biomethane were to deliver part of the answer — 10%, 15% or 20% — it would deliver far more than energy; it would help the environment, support farming and strengthen rural economies. As I have said, it is not a silver bullet, but it is a tool. If we use it properly, it could make a real difference. We can keep reacting to the world around us, or we can start shaping our own. This is our chance to do it. I urge Members around the Chamber to support the motion. Let us not shrink from it or talk it down.

I thank the Member for his intervention. He is absolutely right. In fact, the birthplace in the Assembly was around 2021 with Minister Poots as Minister of Agriculture, through the sustainable use of livestock slurry (SULS) programme. It was probably the genesis of the biomethane programme. However, we need to learn from what has already happened and improve, then use and accelerate that research and development to ensure that we extract every benefit of everything that is within that circular economy. It is really important, given the topics of debate over the weekend. I listened to my colleague from Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Diana Armstrong, on the radio about the shrinking rural economy. This is a real chance to rebuild that and ensure, as we should as legislators, that our rural communities have that voice and that farmers are central to any development. I commend the motion to the House.

1,414 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:26 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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