Tabled Date | Amendment Text |
06/06/2025 | Leave out all after ‘Northern Ireland;’ and insert:
‘stresses that any future nutrient management policy must be the product of genuine partnership with the farming community and reflect a mix of regulation, financial incentivisation, education and advice; notes the establishment of a stakeholder group to help address concerns raised with the current Nutrients Action Programme proposals; further notes the Irish Government’s approach to improving water quality, including the recruitment of 50 water quality advisers and the provision of significant financial incentives to support best practice on farms; affirms that the long-term challenge of improving water quality requires coordinated, cross-border action; and calls on the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to commit to providing equivalent levels of support to farmers in Northern Ireland to help improve water quality; further calls on the Minister to urgently engage with his counterpart in the South to begin work on a shared, all-island approach to nutrient management that is fair, effective and workable for all stakeholders.’
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06/06/2025 | Leave out all after ‘Northern Ireland;’ and insert:
“including, but not limited to, pollution arising from agricultural activity and underinvestment in wastewater treatment infrastructure; acknowledges the significant concerns within the farming and agri-food sectors about proposals in the current consultation on the Nutrients Action Programme 2026–2029, particularly around stricter phosphorus limits, compulsory use of low-emission slurry spreading equipment, and mandatory uncultivated buffer strips; believes that, without appropriate support, flexibility and fairness, these proposals risk undermining farm viability, driving up costs, and threatening domestic food production; notes concerns about limited stakeholder engagement and the lack of an economic impact assessment; further believes that effective nutrient management must be grounded in evidence, designed in partnership with those affected, and informed by scientific best practice and environmental recovery models; calls on the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to withdraw the current consultation and allow for the development of a revised, collaborative, multi-sector and multi-agency approach that can deliver both improved water quality and a sustainable future for agriculture; and further calls on the Minister to work jointly with the Minister for Infrastructure to tackle pollution linked to outdated wastewater systems, as part of a joined-up effort to restore and protect Northern Ireland’s waterways.’
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06/06/2025 | Leave out all after ‘wastewater treatment;’ and insert:
‘notes that many farmers are already taking voluntary steps to improve nutrient management and water quality, often without adequate support, and that any future policy must be backed by properly resourced advisory services, grant aid, and realistic adaptation timelines; and calls on the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to immediately withdraw the current public consultation on the Nutrients Action Programme 2026-2029 in order to provide time and space to develop a genuinely multi-sectoral and multi-agency approach that is fair and workable for all stakeholders.'
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06/06/2025 | At end insert:
‘; and further calls on the Minister to ensure that any future measures are proportionate, evidence-based, in line with Just Transition principles, developed through meaningful engagement with farmers and underpinned by appropriate support, particularly for small family farms.’ |