11/06/2025
Parties 'Abandoning Commitment' To Lough Neagh
SDLP Leader of the Opposition Matthew O'Toole MLA has accused Sinn Féin, the DUP, and the UUP of abandoning their commitment to save Lough Neagh, following their support for a motion to halt a consultation on the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (AERA) Minister's Nutrients Action Programme (NAP).
The NAP's aim is to improve water quality and the wider environment by reducing and preventing pollution, primarily caused by nutrients from agricultural sources, which are a key factor in the blue-green algae infestations plaguing Lough Neagh.
Mr O'Toole, a South Belfast MLA, said: "We have heard repeatedly from Sinn Féin, the DUP and the UUP about the importance of protecting Lough Neagh from the yearly infestation of blue-green algae that has become the norm. We have had Assembly motions and even the First Minister herself on the banks of the lough professing her party would do everything possible to protect it. Those promises were nothing but cynical, empty rhetoric."
He drew a stark contrast between these pronouncements and the recent vote: "In stark contrast, today we saw these same parties line up and vote for the NAP to be abandoned. This very programme has the potential to address the causes of the pollution at Lough Neagh and improve environmental outcomes right across the North, but once again we are seeing Executive parties paying lip service to an issue and buckling at the slightest bit of pressure."
Lough Neagh, the largest freshwater lake in the UK and Ireland, has been severely affected by toxic blue-green algal blooms in recent years, largely attributed to excessive nutrient run-off from agricultural and wastewater systems, exacerbated by climate change.
Mr O'Toole acknowledged the importance of engaging with the farming community but insisted it should not come at the cost of inaction. "It is critical that farmers are heard in this consultation and that the department works in partnership with them. But that cannot be at the expense of taking no action at all," he concluded.
The NAP's aim is to improve water quality and the wider environment by reducing and preventing pollution, primarily caused by nutrients from agricultural sources, which are a key factor in the blue-green algae infestations plaguing Lough Neagh.
Mr O'Toole, a South Belfast MLA, said: "We have heard repeatedly from Sinn Féin, the DUP and the UUP about the importance of protecting Lough Neagh from the yearly infestation of blue-green algae that has become the norm. We have had Assembly motions and even the First Minister herself on the banks of the lough professing her party would do everything possible to protect it. Those promises were nothing but cynical, empty rhetoric."
Lough Neagh, the largest freshwater lake in the UK and Ireland, has been severely affected by toxic blue-green algal blooms in recent years, largely attributed to excessive nutrient run-off from agricultural and wastewater systems, exacerbated by climate change.
Mr O'Toole acknowledged the importance of engaging with the farming community but insisted it should not come at the cost of inaction. "It is critical that farmers are heard in this consultation and that the department works in partnership with them. But that cannot be at the expense of taking no action at all," he concluded.
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A sunny but frosty start for many. However cloud increases by midday with a few showers reaching the north coast, these mostly light but spreading inland this afternoon. Chilly. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:A rather cloudy evening with scattered showers. Becoming drier through the night with some good clear spells developing and a patchy frost away from coasts. Minimum temperature 0 °C.