Edwin Poots 'not convinced' by incineration arguments

Edwin Poots has been setting out his priorities as Northern Ireland's new agriculture and environment minister

A Stormont minister appears to have cast doubt over the future of a major waste infrastructure project for Northern Ireland.

Agriculture and Environment Minister Edwin Poots said he was "not convinced" of the argument for incineration.

A waste incinerator forms part of a planned £240m facility for the outskirts of Belfast.

It has been proposed for a site near Glengormley and has attracted considerable opposition.

Mr Poots, speaking during a wide-ranging interview with BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme, said he remained to be convinced of the argument for incineration in Northern Ireland.

The interview focused on his priorities as minister, following his appointment to the executive earlier in January.

But, earlier in the programme, those behind the project made the case for it saying large quantities of waste was still being put in landfills which were rapidly filling up and being exported for incineration.

An artist's impression of the proposed waste facility

Previously the Department for Agriculture, the Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) had indicated its support for the ARC21 proposal.

Mr Poots said he did not believe burning waste was necessarily damaging to the environment but that incineration "requires an awful lot of waste and there are better ways of dealing" with it.

He said European countries with some of the highest green credentials used incineration, but he was not sure the technology was needed here.

"I don't know that Northern Ireland has a requirement for it, I'm not convinced of that at all."

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A potential impact on levels of recycling was one of the reasons cited by the then Environment Minister Mark H Durkan when he refused planning permission for the waste plant in September 2015.

His views were welcomed by campaigners opposed to the facility who interpreted it as a "shift in ministerial emphasis" away from the plan.

Earlier on Good Morning Ulster, Tim Walker of ARC21 made the case for the plant saying that Northern Ireland still put 200,000 tonnes of waste into landfills which would be full in six to eight years.

He said 170,000 tonnes was also being shipped overseas to be incinerator in facility in other European countries where the technology was common.

The proposal is a regionally significant one and is back under consideration by the Department for Infrastructure following the receipt of fresh environmental information.

The decision will ultimately be taken by Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon.

Caution on independent environmental agency

Elsewhere in the wide-ranging Good Morning Ulster interview, Mr Poots said he was open to an independent environmental protection agency being set up in Northern Ireland.

However, he warned it will not be "the answer to all our problems".

The establishment of an independent agency is a commitment in the new Stormont deal, which led to the restoration of power sharing.

The current Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) is part of DAERA.

In the UK, a new independent agency - the Office of Environmental Protection - will be established after Brexit to replace the oversight provided by the EU.

The agency's remit could include Northern Ireland if the UK's Environment Bill was extended to here.

Analysis

by Conor Macauley, BBC News NI agriculture and environment correspondent

The minister is lukewarm on the idea of an independent environmental protection agency.

Environmentalists think a regulatory body should be free of the risk of political interference. The current Northern Ireland Environment Agency sits within Mr Poots' department.

Environmentalists claim Northern Ireland has been left behind on environmental governance

Northern Ireland could have an independent agency relatively quickly. The UK's Environment Bill and the Office of Environmental Protection it will establish could be extended to here.

But it looks like the issue is quite far down Mr Poots' priority list.

When asked about the establishment of an independent environment agency, Mr Poots said he believed there already existed a "significant degree of independence" in the current Northern Ireland Environmental Agency (NIEA).

"It's got its own independent board, which monitors its performance," he said.

"Does it work satisfactorily all the time? No it doesn't. Will an independent environmental protection agency be the answer to all our problems? No it won't.

"Am I open to the idea of an independent EPA? Yes I am.

"But all these things need to be thought through properly and discussed properly."

He added that he considers an environment strategy to be of greater importance.

"It's higher up my agenda to get the environment strategy out in my assembly in this term. We'll see if we can do both."

Elsewhere in the interview, Mr Poots said:

• Wants to "encourage forestation, where that is appropriate" and hinted at an upcoming announcement on the issue

• He and his department were "looking extensively" at badger culls as part of bovine TB prevention and that they needed to discuss the "controversial issue"

• Working on reducing Northern Ireland's carbon footprint, and ensuring it "plays its part" part on climate change, was his number one priority

• He believes the agriculture sector is "up for change" and recognises the need to embrace new methods to reduce its environmental impact