Environment

DAERA Minister Andrew Muir has extended the deadline for the public consultation on Northern Ireland’s draft Nature Recovery Strategy by four weeks, giving stakeholders until 15 April 2026 to submit their views. The extension comes amid significant interest in the proposed framework, which aims to halt and reverse biodiversity loss […]

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has published a summary of public responses to its consultation on the draft Remediation Strategy for the Mobuoy site, marking the next step toward addressing one of Europe’s largest illegal waste dumps. The consultation, which ran from June to October 2025,

Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir has opened a 12-week public consultation on an ambitious 15-year rural development strategy aimed at reshaping how government supports Northern Ireland’s rural communities. The draft policy, titled Rural NI: Our New Approach 2026-2041, seeks to replace previous frameworks with a co-designed approach that places rural voices

Agriculture ministers on both sides of the Irish border have announced a significant easing of Bluetongue restrictions, allowing cross-border trade in cattle and sheep for breeding and production to resume from Friday. The move comes three months after the first cases of Bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) were confirmed in

A suspected case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been detected at a commercial poultry farm near Omagh, County Tyrone, prompting immediate disease control measures including the culling of all birds on the premises and the establishment of temporary movement restrictions. The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has extended the deadline for applications to become Chair and Members of the Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside (CNCC), giving prospective candidates until noon on Thursday 19 March 2026 to submit their applications. The extension comes as Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland’s water pollution regulator is to be stripped of its power to shield the region’s water utility from prosecution, as part of sweeping reforms announced by Environment Minister Andrew Muir. The move will place NI Water on the same enforcement footing as farmers and private industry, ending an administrative

Northern Ireland’s equine traceability system has formally aligned with the Republic of Ireland’s regime, with ministers on both sides of the border welcoming mandatory establishment registration that came into effect last month. From 1 February 2026, anyone applying for a horse passport in Northern Ireland must provide an Equine Establishment

Farmers who signed up to Northern Ireland’s new environmental support programme last year are being urged to submit their payment claims when the window opens on Monday. The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has confirmed that claim submissions for the Farming with Nature Transition Scheme will be

DAERA Minister Andrew Muir has launched a five-year plan to safeguard Northern Ireland’s marine environment, setting out how the region will manage its network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) through to 2030. Unveiled on 25 February 2026 at Castle Espie Wetland Centre on the shores of Strangford Lough, the Marine