Northern Ireland’s Environment Minister Andrew Muir has accused some politicians of a “deliberate attempt to undermine the science and evidence” around the ecological crisis at Lough Neagh.
The Alliance Party minister said he had a number of priorities for 2026, including tackling climate change and improving water quality.
He said he wanted Executive support for his plans to strengthen regulation enforcement in relation to sewage pollution.
The minister also said work would continue to implement actions in the Lough Neagh Recovery Plan agreed by the Executive.
The lough – the UK and Ireland’s largest freshwater lake by surface area – has been blighted by noxious blooms of blue-green algae for the last three summers.
The cause has been put down to an excess of nutrients from a number of sources, including waste water, septic tanks and agriculture, exacerbated by climate change and the invasive species Zebra mussels.
Lough Neagh supplies 40 per cent of Northern Ireland’s drinking water and sustains a major eel fishing industry.
Mr Muir said: “Since taking up office, I’ve been very clear that the situation in Lough Neagh has been a result of decades of neglect and there are no quick fixes.
“It breaks my heart to see the situation unfold year after year in the lough.
[ Lough Neagh’s recovery needs ‘sustained action over many years’, Minister saysOpens in new window ]
“What we’ve got to do is take the actions to reduce the level of pollution that’s going into the lough and also to be very conscious of the impact that climate change is having.
“That requires tough decisions in terms of reducing the amount of pollution, whether it’s coming from agricultural sources or in relation to sewage pollution or septic tanks.”
Asked if he believed the will existed within the power-sharing Executive to take the decisions he wanted, Mr Muir said “time will tell”.
He added: “I believe that we should respect the science and evidence that tells us in terms of remediation of the lough, partly as a result of the sediment and the phosphorus that is absorbed, this will take decades to remediate.
“When you respect the science and evidence, it delivers lots of inconvenient truths. We should respect those and then we should take the tough decisions around it.
“What I have seen, particularly in 2025, is a deliberate attempt by some to undermine the science and evidence around this. I will stand four-square in defence of the scientists who are delivering the facts.
“We have peer-reviewed academic research that’s been referred to as ‘magical figures’. I think that’s grossly insulting to the individuals who have pulled that research together.” - PA
