Northern Ireland conservation groups issue warning over laws

The organisations say hundreds of pieces of EU environment legislation currently in place in Northern Ireland could end

Northern Ireland's environmental law could face its biggest change in a generation unless Stormont acts, conservation groups have warned.

They have written to Stormont departments and the NI secretary over concerns with the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill.

The bill would remove the majority of EU-derived law kept post-Brexit, unless "saved" by ministers until 2026.

If passed in full, EU laws could be scrapped by the end of next year.

The Department for Agriculture and Environment says it is considering the potential impact of the bill.

'Cease to exist'

The groups behind the letter include the Northern Ireland branch of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Ulster Wildlife and NI Environment Link.

In the letter, the organisations say the bill could see the end of hundreds of pieces of EU environment legislation currently in place in Northern Ireland that not only preserve natural environment, but also restore and rebuild habitat.

It is estimated at least 570 pieces of environmental legislation are affected, along with others relating to health, education and business.

In the letter, the groups say they are concerned about the "unprecedented scope" of the bill and that it includes a "sunset clause" for EU law of 31 December 2023, which would see those laws removed by that date.

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It added the bill would create "an extraordinary burden" on departments that "could derail wider policy and legislative work".

"The unnecessary risk of losing hundreds of essential standards and regulations is made all the more acute by the ongoing lack of functioning political institutions in Northern Ireland," it said.

About 11% of species in Northern Ireland are at risk of extinction.

Gortin Glen Forest Park, County Tyrone

The letter said the bill affected laws dedicated to restoring and rebuilding habitat

"Without specific action by ministers to replace hundreds of laws, there is a real and unacceptable risk that environmental and public health laws that we, and society as a whole, have come to depend on will simply cease to exist after 2023," the letter said.

"This hasty legislative timeline creates a huge burden of work for the NI Executive, and requirement for scrutiny by the NI Assembly and committees, to save important legislative provisions from being lost.

"This bill and the work it will necessitate poses a very real risk to other departmental work, including the resource needed to develop climate action plans."

The groups have asked for a meeting with ministers "to explore in greater detail the implications of the bill".

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs said officials were monitoring its passage through Parliament closely.

In a statement, it added that many of the laws which are the department's responsibility, including most environmental laws, would be affected by the bill but that it remained "committed to ensuring Northern Ireland has a clear statutory basis for protecting the environment and human health".