AQO 2815/22-27

Ms Connie Egan
Alliance Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 20/11/2025
Answered On Date: 03/12/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs how the Shared Island Fund is facilitating cross-border cooperation within agriculture, environment and rural affairs.

Answer:

The Shared Island Fund is delivering practical benefits through enhanced cooperation between Northern Ireland and Ireland across agriculture, environment, and rural affairs. Key initiatives include:

The Shared Island Pollinator Plan: A €3.86 million programme, including €1.8 million Shared Island funding, to halt and reverse pollinator decline through coordinated monitoring and action across the island.

Peatlands and Natura Community Networks: Collaboration between NIEA and the Republic’s National Parks and Wildlife Service on peatland restoration and ecosystem recovery, supported by allocations under the Shared Island Initiative Peatland Programme and future Natura Communities Network funding.

An All-Island Biosecurity and Invasive Species Initiative: A five-year project to strengthen biosecurity and manage invasive species through joint risk assessments, awareness campaigns, and catchment-level measures.

A Bovine Tuberculosis Regionalisation Pilot: A cross-border project jointly developed by my department and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Marine to test a regionalised approach to bTB eradication across people, wildlife and cattle measures. The Irish Government has allocated €6.4 million to support this initiative from the Shared Island fund.

These projects demonstrate how Shared Island funding is enabling knowledge exchange, resource pooling, and coordinated action to address shared challenges, support innovation, and build a sustainable future for communities across the island.