This is your chance to have your say on new proposals to improve water quality in Northern Ireland.

NFFN NI is urging farmers to take part in the consultation on the new Nutrients Action Programme (NAP), which sets out the latest rules aimed at improving water quality.

The proposed NAP for 2027-2030 is open for public comment for eight weeks and it is important that our members make their voices heard.

The new proposals seek to balance the need to improve Northern Ireland’s water quality with the viability of sustainable and productive farming. This is a revised version of the NAP published last year, which sparked widespread concern about its potential impact on the farming sector.

In response, a stakeholder group was established to develop the current proposals, with farming, food processing and environmental interests (including NFFN NI) all represented at the table. The aim is to deliver better environmental outcomes from farming practices that support sustainable agriculture.

The proposals set out a broad range of measures that could be adopted to address nutrient management and water quality issues. However, stakeholders are keen to emphasise that the proposals remain open to discussion and could change depending on the results of the public consultation. This makes it all the more important that the voices of Northern Ireland’s nature-friendly farmers are heard.

Reducing the use of costly inputs such as fertilisers, while tackling water pollution, is vital if Northern Ireland’s farms are to remain viable into the future and resilient to the threat of climate change.