He says 'Going for Growth' was a 'mistake' and he fully supports and independent environmental protection agency
We took a trip to the heart of Lough Neagh where Northern Ireland's environment minister witnessed first hand the columns of blue-green algae throughout the water from a boat for the first time. Looking out the window at the blobs of cyanobacteria that have turned large parts of the lake green in recent weeks, he said "we need to be honest with people about the issues that have caused this.. they are big issues".
"There's an old adage about when's the best time to plant a tree, yesterday, when's the next best time, today," he added. "You have to get started and I think that's where the plan is a great start to this." "What wasn't in the report was my commitment to an independent environmental protection agency and we will making announcements in the next number of weeks of next steps in relation to that."
Minister Muir added: "What has unfolded here in Northern Ireland should be a wake-up call to everyone in terms of needing to take action in relation to our environment. We failed our environment over decades and we need to learn lessons from that. "Policy previously was around favouring intensification, known in some circles as 'Going for Growth' - I am very clear was a mistake and the new policy direction under me as minister is sustainable productivity."
Blue-Green Algae Environment DAERA
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