Importance of all-island collaboration in improving water quality highlighted

Rory Farrell, group head of sustainability at Lakeland Dairies, said that rivers "do not respect borders and we believe that this joined-up approach is critical". 

Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland Andrew Muir recently visited the Mountain Water Catchment, Co Monaghan, highlighting the importance of collaboration in improving water quality. 

Teagasc, together with its Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP) partners, the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) and Lakeland Dairies, welcomed the minister to the farm of Padraig and Niall Hughes, Emyvale, located in the catchment.

The purpose of the visit was to see first-hand how combining catchment science with a dedicated advisory service can help farmers to implement measures to protect water from agricultural pollution.

Partnership approach

Minister Muir said: “I was delighted to visit Emyvale and see the good work being done by everyone to improve water quality in the River Blackwater, a cross-border catchment that flows into Lough Neagh. 

"This is something very close to my own heart and improving water quality in Northern Ireland is a top priority for me. 

"I was keen to hear first-hand about the initiatives and approaches being adopted here.

I firmly believe that we will all benefit from a partnership approach when it comes to tackling the challenges of improving our water quality. 

"I have no doubt we have much to learn from each other and look forward to continuing our collaborative working to improve our shared waters."

Ted Massey from the Department of Agriculture said that the Irish Government is "committed to working to improve the sustainability of Irish agriculture and one key element of that is to reduce agriculture’s impact on water quality". 

“I particularly welcome the level of collaboration that now exists north and south as we seek to address what are often common challenges in terms of water quality," Mr Massey added.

Director of services for LAWPRO Anthony Coleman said that in order to address the issues affecting water quality, scientific evidence is required to identify pressures impacting different types of water bodies. 

"LAWPRO has developed catchment assessment techniques to effectively identify what issues are impacting water quality in catchments and refer this scientific evidence to the appropriate agency so that appropriate measures can be put in place."

Rory Farrell, group head of sustainability at Lakeland Dairies, added that rivers "do not respect borders and we believe that this joined-up approach is critical".