en.Wedoany.com Reported - A collaborative program totaling £49.3 million (€56.7 million) will be invested in improving Lough Neagh Water Quality (LNWQ), with €33 million provided by the Department of the Taoiseach through the Shared Island Initiative, £11.5 million (€13.2 million) supported by the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), and an additional €10.5 million from the Irish Government's Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
This five-year program, covering 2027 to 2031, will invest in a range of ecological and farm measures to improve water quality, and includes the transfer of knowledge and best practices between the two jurisdictions.
DAERA Minister Andrew Muir stated that the program is a key intervention project in collaboration with the Irish Government, aimed at reversing the deterioration of water quality in Lough Neagh. He noted that the Lough Neagh Catchment Plan supports the department's multi-agency, evidence-led approach, focusing on protecting the waterways flowing into the lake, and that this funding represents a shared commitment and substantial future investment in the island's largest freshwater lake. Muir pointed out that improving water quality requires supporting all sectors, including the farming community, and praised farmers for taking proactive steps to protect the environment by managing nutrients more efficiently. The initiative is based on a sustainable catchment program approach, providing advisory support and financial assistance to agricultural businesses through the development of water environment management plans and the implementation of specific farm measures such as watercourse fencing, creation of riparian buffer zones, tree and hedgerow planting, and livestock drinking water systems, with the project focusing on farms in the Blackwater and Lough Neagh catchments.
Irish Government Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD, added that the island of Ireland, as a unique environmental unit, can truly benefit from cooperation on cross-border environmental management issues, such as the water quality of Lough Neagh. He stated that the Shared Island Initiative to improve Lough Neagh water quality is a welcome step forward in addressing water quality issues and blue-green algae blooms. This presents an opportunity for ongoing knowledge sharing and collaboration in catchment science and water quality, providing advisory and financial support to farmers to implement measures on their farms to improve water quality. The program builds on Ireland's Water Action Plan and the "Farming for Water European Innovation Partnership (EIP)," which focuses on implementing the right measures in the right places.
The two departments will further negotiate to finalize the overall package, with more information to be provided in the future.
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