Protecting and enhancing the Northern Ireland environment

Julie Thompson, head of the Environment, Marine, and Fisheries Group at the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), spoke at the recent Environment Ireland Conference on a range of matters including the implementation of the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) and Northern Ireland’s legally binding decarbonisation under the Climate Change Act.

As environmental challenges reach new levels of urgency globally, Northern Ireland faces its own set of challenges and opportunities. Thompson describes the path forward, emphasising that “we are at a pivotal time for the environmental sector,” both locally and globally.

On the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP), published by DAERA on 27 September 2024, Thompson says that it “sets out the steps that DAERA and indeed all other Executive departments intend to take to significantly improve our natural environment”.

“This plan establishes a foundation for transforming Northern Ireland’s approach to environmental policy through oversight, annual reporting, and a framework of six strategic objectives,” she adds.
Thompson states that finding a sustainable balance is “no easy task”, acknowledging: “Delivering against the six strategic objectives is essential for delivering real improvements in the quality of the environment for decades to come, whilst also improving the health and wellbeing of all who live and work in Northern Ireland.”

Collaborative goals and climate action

A critical element of delivering the EIP will be the need for cross-border cooperation. Asserting that “environmental challenges know no borders”, Thompson outlines that delivering the actions in the EIP requires collaboration on a “north-south basis, as well as working on an east-west level with the other UK administrations”. This approach, she states, seeks to “strengthen environmental protection efforts across the island”.
The main legislation driving climate action in Northern Ireland is the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland 2022), which sets targets of net zero emissions by 2050, with five-year interim carbon budgets.

“DAERA and the other Executive departments are committed, through the legislation, to produce a credible draft Climate Action Plan which will be published for consultation as soon as possible,” Thompson states. However, she states that achieving net zero will require “significant transformation” across public services, business practices, and personal behaviours. “The path to net zero calls for an unprecedented level of cross-departmental cooperation across public, private, and third sectors,” she says.

“Farmers have an important role to play in producing food sustainably, as well as helping to manage the land for the environment.”

 

Protecting biodiversity

On biodiversity, Thompson states that a recently published report from the Office of Environmental Protection is a “stark reminder” that we need to restore the diversity of Northern Ireland’s habitats and species.

“The report on the drivers and pressures affecting nature in Northern Ireland was published by the Office of Environmental Protection,” she notes, citing the urgent need for a Nature Recovery Strategy.

This strategy, which is being developed through cross-sector collaboration, aims to halt the loss of habitats and endangered species by integrating biodiversity into broader environmental initiatives. “The interconnections are clear,” emphasises Thompson, suggesting a “need for coherence across environmental and agricultural policy.”

Water quality

In the context of the environmental crisis surrounding Lough Neagh, Thompson says that improving its water quality has become “one of the first-year priorities for the Northern Ireland Executive,” with a dedicated action plan addressing four core areas: education, incentivisation, regulation, and enforcement.

Although she says that the challenges at Lough Neagh brought the focus to that waterbody and catchment area, Thompson stresses that “lessons will need to be learned” and that “we will need to work together to improve water quality right across the entire island of Ireland”.

Agriculture

Balancing food production with environmental goals Thompson says, is particularly complex given that “75 per cent of our land is in agricultural use”. While the agri-food sector is crucial to the economy, it is also the single greatest largest emitting sector.

“Farmers have an important role to play in producing food sustainably, as well as helping to manage the land for the environment,” Thompson says, further explaining that the Farm Support and Development Programme will include the Farming with Nature package to “help farmers balance production with sustainable land management”.

Furthermore, she stresses that ammonia emissions from agriculture remain a critical challenge, with the sector producing 97 per cent of the total ammonia emissions.

Sustainable agriculture

As such, now in its third year, Thompson indicates that DAERA’s Soil Nutrient Health Scheme, is serving as an “innovative model for managing nutrient pollution from agriculture”.

“By providing farmers with detailed soil nutrient analyses, the programme reduces phosphorus runoff, thus helping to improve water quality. This programme not only aids individual farmers but also offers regional benefits, illustrating how technology and data-driven solutions can support sustainable practice.

“This data will help individual farmers to improve their nutrient management planning for more efficient crop growth, but it will also help reduce pollution of our waterways,” Thompson explains.

Clean air and economic circularity

Recognising the importance of air quality, Thompson outlines that DAERA is advancing a Clean Air Strategy, in which commitment to a circular economy is “high on the agenda”.

From bans on single-use plastics to financial support for recycling programmes, the circular economy goal aims to reduce waste, increase recycling, and minimise environmental impact.

According to Thompson, “DAERA will continue to support local councils through the £23 million household waste recycling, collaborative change programme”. Additionally, she says that efforts to harmonise waste policies with other regions will “help align sustainability efforts across the UK and Ireland”.

Towards a greener economy

Concluding, Thompson states that DAERA’s vision for Northern Ireland is a “strong green economy” which “values its resources and actively closes the loop by putting as many of our resources back into the system as possible”.

By embedding sustainability into agricultural policies, she states that the Department is working to “preserve its natural heritage while achieving economic prosperity”.

Equipped with this roadmap, Thompson expresses optimism that “we can deliver that vision for all our society” by working collaboratively.