Groups say Lough Neagh action plan 'a good start'

The meeting with Andrew Muir came after the Lough Neagh Action Plan was approved by the executive last week

Groups including farming representatives have welcomed the Lough Neagh Action Plan as “a good start”.

Members of the Ulster Farmers’ Union, NI Environment Link and Lough Neagh Partnership met the agriculture, environment and rural affairs minister to discuss the plan.

The plan was approved by the Executive last week.

It lays out 37 actions to be taken in the short, medium and long term to address the challenges facing the largest freshwater lake in the UK and Ireland.

After Tuesday's meeting the minister, Andrew Muir, said he would put his “shoulder to the wheel” to implement the plan, which he said requires “unprecedented” effort.

Mr Muir also signalled his intention to pursue the creation of an independent Environmental Protection Agency for Northern Ireland.

It comes following the blue-green algal crisis last summer.

The minister met representatives of a number of groups on Tuesday

Mr Muir described the scale of the challenge as immense and that "there's lots that needs to be done".

"We need to move at a really, really fast pace. The scale of change that's required here is unprecedented," he said.

"I believe we can turn the situation around in relation to Lough Neagh but it's going to require investment."

Mr Muir described his department's Going for Growth strategy, which was aimed at accelerating the growth of farming, fishing and food-and-drink processing in Northern Ireland, as “a mistake”.

Joanna Braniff of the Rivers Trust, which is hoping for commitment and investment from the government to help the lough

Joanna Braniff, from The Rivers Trust, said there are some "very sensible measures" in the plan.

"It's a very ambitious plan... That ambition, whilst good, it's also going to make it quite difficult to deliver because there's so much involved in it," she said.

Ms Braniff added: "We have to get it right. We need to think about how these things come together and work together as as a jigsaw."

"None of these things can be seen in isolation, so we've confidence in terms of the intentions of the plan.

"We're hoping now that we see investment and commitment from the government, the state, [and] the people of Northern Ireland."

'A big tipping point'

Gerry Darby of the Lough Neagh Partnership says it could take 10 to 20 years for the lough to return to normal

Gerry Darby, from the Lough Neagh Partnership, says "we're at a big tipping point".

"It's a really good start," he said, but pointed out that "it took a long time to get here."

"In terms of nutrient overload, it probably will take certainly anywhere between 10 to 20 years to try and get us back to some sort of normality, or some sort of manageable level that doesn't have this negative environmental impact on the lough."

Blue-green algae in a bay on the shore of Lough Neagh last week

This was the first opportunity the groups have had to hear from the minister and to express to him their thoughts on the plan.

Lough Neagh supplies about half of Belfast's drinking water and about 40% of Northern Ireland's overall.

Last year it was blighted by large blooms of the potentially toxic blue-green algae.

The algae has reappeared in parts of the lough in recent days, due to the return of settled weather.

Speaking after the Executive approved the action plan for last week, Mr Muir said a lot of work that was already under way to tackle the issues but that more needed to be done in relation to the lough's future.

The Shaftesbury estate has held ownership of the bed and soil of Lough Neagh since the 19th century.

Lord Shaftesbury, who is the 12th member of his family to hold the title of earl of Shaftesbury, told BBC News NI last year he was open to the idea of selling the Lough but would not be giving it away.