Robbie Butler MLA, the Ulster Unionist Agriculture Spokesperson, has advocated for a balanced and realistic approach to environmental policy, cautioning against political gestures that abandon climate ambitions entirely. The statement comes in response to a DUP motion calling for the total withdrawal of the current draft Climate Action Plan 2023-2027.

While acknowledging that the targets established in the previous mandate are increasingly unrealistic given current challenges, Mr Butler argued that revising these goals is a more responsible path than full withdrawal. He pointed to the lack of ministerial leadership during the five years Stormont was collapsed over the last decade as a primary factor making delivery of climate commitments significantly more difficult.

Robbie Butler MLA said: "It is without doubt that the targets set in the previous mandate, voted on by all parties in the Assembly, set a very high bar. As a party we've been clear and recognised that those targets were ambitious and, in light of current realities, increasingly are unrealistic for 2030 and beyond to 2050. Recent failures on energy targets, ongoing energy security concerns, the failure to deliver major roads infrastructure, and significant barriers to agri-food security, all linked to climate change obligations, mean we must be realistic and pragmatic. Also the absence of ministerial leadership and departmental accountability during periods when Stormont was down for five of the last ten years has inevitably made delivery of Northern Ireland's contribution to wider United Kingdom commitments, including climate ambition, significantly more challenging.

"This accumulation of failures has left us in a position where a revision of those targets would have been far more reasonable than the full withdrawal now being proposed by the DUP. We have seen elsewhere, most notably in Scotland, that when targets prove unworkable, they are revised and a new framework is put in place. That is the mature and responsible approach." The UUP representative emphasised that environmental and economic interests must exist in tandem, noting that the agricultural sector has previously carried a disproportionate burden of climate responsibilities. He highlighted that with over 60% of local farm produce exported to feed roughly 10 million people across the UK, farmers must be supported as central figures in a circular economy.

Mr Butler added: "The Ulster Unionist Party will not allow unreachable targets to break the back of our people or our industries. Northern Ireland has a role to play in meeting the United Kingdom's wider climate ambitions, but we cannot pursue unachievable goals at the cost of our farming communities, our businesses, and our economy. We want to see a balanced, circular economy solution that recognises the environment and the economy exist in tandem, not in isolation. For too long, the burden of climate and environmental ambition has fallen disproportionately on our farmers. It is time for the Executive to take note, for genuine collaboration to take place, and for revised targets that reflect Northern Ireland's unique circumstances. We will not allow the agricultural community to remain the sole carrier of this responsibility; with over 60% of our Farm produce going to export, feeding around 10 million people across the UK, and with suppliers and consumers demanding ethically and sustainably sourced produce, it is vital that our farmers are supported to be central to that circular economy reality. Turning nutrient surplus into nutrient opportunity is exactly the kind of practical thinking that should be driving this agenda.

"Our Party is committed to addressing climate change in a meaningful and deliverable way. Stunts such as full withdrawal do nothing to reframe ambition; they simply accept defeat. You need only ask our farmers about the very real effects of climate change: the wettest start to a year in living memory is a direct consequence of inaction, and we must do our part. On Monday, the Ulster Unionist Party will bring forward a motion on Anaerobic Digestion and Food and Energy Security, a practical, costed solution that addresses both sustainable energy provision and environmental concerns. Farmers must be central to the design and delivery of any future Climate Action Plan. That is our commitment, and that is the standard we will hold Government to."