Lough Neagh Partnership has welcomed the programme of work advanced by Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir MLA, to address the environmental challenges facing Lough Neagh and establish a long-term framework for its recovery.
Since taking office, Minister Muir has advanced measures to address declining water quality, nutrient pressures and recurring blue-green algal blooms. A key development was the Lough Neagh Report and 37-point Action Plan, approved by the Northern Ireland Executive in July 2024.
Based on education, incentivisation, regulation and enforcement, the Action Plan provides a coordinated framework for action. Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) reports that 23 of the 37 actions have been delivered, with the remaining 14 progressing.
Minister Muir has also supported a partnership approach involving environmental organisations, farmers, local communities, researchers, government departments and organisations working around the Lough. Lough Neagh Partnership welcomed his early visit to Lough Neagh and his engagement with Partnership representatives. This engagement has continued through the Lough Neagh Stakeholder Forum, chaired by the Minister.
Support for practical environmental work with farmers has been particularly important. For a decade, Lough Neagh Partnership has managed two major Environmental Group Farm Schemes, supported by DAERA. These schemes have produced 100 farm nutrient plans, delivered substantial training programmes and brought more than £5.16 million in environmental investment to the wider Lough Neagh area. Approximately one-third of the Lough’s farmed shoreline is represented within the schemes.
We welcome Minister Muir’s confirmation that participating farmers will be able to continue this work, with support from Lough Neagh Partnership to adopt more nature-friendly and sustainable practices.
Another major development is the £49.3 million (€56.7 million) Lough Neagh Catchment Area Water Quality Programme, supported through the Government of Ireland’s Shared Island Initiative and DAERA.
Running from 2027 to 2031, the programme will support catchment-scale measures including watercourse fencing, riparian margins, tree and hedge planting, livestock watering systems, farm advice, research and improved monitoring.
This approach is essential because nutrients and pollutants entering rivers throughout the Lough Neagh catchment ultimately affect the Lough’s ecological condition.
The Minister has also supported direct investment in organisations working on the ground. Lough Neagh Partnership received £221,740.90 through the Environment Fund in 2025/26 for communications and outreach, community roadshows, farming consultation, story mapping, and specialist curlew survey and tracking work.
More than £380,000 was allocated in 2026 to 16 water-quality projects, 11 of them within the Lough Neagh catchment.
Progress has also been made in monitoring and public access to information. Launched in January 2026, the Lough Neagh Water Quality Dashboard has been expanded to provide data from 18 monitoring locations, covering water chemistry, nutrients, algae and conditions in the Lough and its principal tributaries.
This greater transparency will help communities, scientists, environmental organisations and policymakers assess whether interventions are delivering long-term improvements.
Gerry Darby, Manager of Lough Neagh Partnership, said: “Lough Neagh Partnership has consistently argued that the scale of the crisis facing Lough Neagh requires leadership, long-term investment, sound science and practical action throughout the entire catchment.
“We recognise the substantial programme of work Minister Andrew Muir has advanced since taking responsibility for DAERA.
“We particularly welcome the Minister’s willingness to engage directly with those who live and work around Lough Neagh and his recognition that organisations such as Lough Neagh Partnership have an important role to play.
“Continuing and expanding this partnership and the development of the Forever Lough Neagh group and the creation of new innovative management structures work will be essential to achieving the long-term recovery of Lough Neagh.
“We should also be clear that the job is far from finished. Blue-green algal blooms remain a serious problem, and reversing decades of ecological decline will require sustained effort over many years. Continued investment in agriculture, wastewater infrastructure, habitat restoration, science, regulation and enforcement will all be needed.
“Lough Neagh Partnership looks forward to continuing to work constructively with Minister Muir, DAERA, the Northern Ireland Executive, local communities, farmers and all our partners to turn existing commitments into measurable improvements in the ecological health of Lough Neagh.
“The progress made provides a stronger foundation for the work ahead. Our collective responsibility now is to build on it and ensure that restoring Lough Neagh remains a long-term priority.”
For more information on Lough Neagh Partnership, visit www.loughneaghpartnership.org and follow the organisation on social media.
