NEWS

Dr Konstantinos Xyntaris invites those with an interest in tree planting to attend the Growers Gathering at CAFRE this month at Greenmount Campus. Monday 05 October 2026 Tree growers, foresters and others involved in woodland creation across Northern Ireland are being invited to Greenmount Campus in Antrim for an industry event exploring the future of tree production and planting. The College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) will host ‘A Growers’ Gathering fo

UFU deputy president Clement Lynch, who is urging farmers to have their say on DAERA’s bTB wildlife intervention consultation. Saturday 03 October 2026 Northern Ireland farmers are being urged to have their say on the future of bovine TB controls before a major consultation closes next week, as the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) calls for wildlife intervention to form part of efforts to eradicate the disease. The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) c

DAERA Minister Andrew Muir launches the second phase of the Lough Neagh Water Quality Dashboard in Ballyronan pictured with (L-R) Patrick Murphy, Lough Neagh Science Advice Branch, DAERA and Stephen Prentice, NIEA Freshwater Monitoring and Assessment. Saturday 03 October 2026 An expanded public monitoring system is giving communities and scientists a much clearer picture of conditions across Lough Neagh — as those working around the lake warn that years of sustained action wi

DAERA Minister Andrew Muir addressing the All-Ireland Sustainability Festival of Sustainable Impact Thursday 01 October 2026 Northern Ireland businesses that cut waste, use resources more efficiently and invest in innovation will be better placed to grow and attract investment, Environment Minister Andrew Muir has said. Speaking at a sustainability festival in Belfast, the DAERA Minister argued that environmental action was becoming central to business success, with implicati

Friday 25 September 2026 A County Antrim farmer has been fined £3,000 after a slurry spill caused a fish kill and pollution travelled approximately nine kilometres downstream, affecting two County Antrim rivers. John Stewart, 35, of Boyland Road, Ballymoney pleaded guilty at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court to a water pollution offence. Alongside the fine, he was ordered to pay a £15 Offenders Levy and agreed to repay £1,929.80 in fish kill remediation costs. Failed valve allowed

Wednesday 16 September 2026 A Northern Ireland council has “strongly disagreed” with the proposed timetable for tougher air pollution limits, while councillors have raised concerns that additional costs could ultimately fall on ratepayers. Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council’s Environment and Sustainability Committee has considered its response to a Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) consultation on plans to tighten legal limits for harmful part

Inset: TUV councillor Jonathan McAuley TUV councillor Jonathan McAuley has expressed disappointment over what he says is a lack of progress by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council on exploring alternatives to traditional fireworks at its Halloween events. The councillor raised the issue again during September’s Environmental Services Committee meeting, almost a year after suggesting that options including silent fireworks and drone shows should be considered. Concerns ove

Northern Ireland farmers are being urged to watch their livestock closely for signs of bluetongue after the disease was confirmed in an animal in County Wexford. The case, involving an unvaccinated heifer, is the first detected in the Republic of Ireland during the 2026/27 bluetongue season. No cases have been confirmed in Northern Ireland this season, but the Ulster Farmers’ Union has warned that the infection’s arrival south of the border underlines the continuing threat to

Pictured at the Housing Centre’s own beehives in Belfast are the Housing Executive’s (L/R) Robert McClean, Stephen Lowry, Jennifer Hawthorne, Ronnie McCreanor and Conor McCombe. The Housing Executive is changing how it manages some of its green spaces across Northern Ireland, with reduced grass cutting, new wildflower areas and thousands of trees being planted each year as part of efforts to support bees and other pollinators. The organisation has become an official partner o

(L-R) Lisa McLaughlin, Harbour Master, Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins and Robert Skelly, Chair of Coleraine Harbour Commissioners. A major £1.2 million project to secure the historic Barmouth Moles at the mouth of the River Bann has been completed, reducing the risk of tidal flooding, coastal erosion and disruption to vessels using Coleraine Harbour. Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins visited Castlerock Pier to see the finished marine engineering works, which were prior

CGI of the proposed IFA National Football Training Centre outside Ballymena Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has admitted that its decision that the proposed Irish FA National Football Centre at Galgorm did not require an Environmental Statement was unlawful and has committed to carrying out the assessment again. The significant development comes after Sarah and John Herbison threatened judicial review proceedings, challenging the council’s handling of the Environmental Im

Pictured are some of the Galgorm Estates Team, Head of Grounds Stephen Mackle, along with Jack L and Chris Millar. A prominent gateway between Ballymena and Galgorm has been transformed following a £150,000 investment which has seen hundreds of roses, hedges and silver birch trees planted around the well-known Galgorm roundabout. The two-year project by Galgorm Collection has combined major restoration work with extensive new landscaping, with the hospitality group saying the

DUP Agriculture Spokesperson Carla Lockhart MP Serious whistleblowing allegations involving animal welfare, biosecurity and environmental practices at Northern Ireland’s Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) should be subjected to a genuinely independent examination, a DUP MP has said. Upper Bann MP and DUP Agriculture spokesperson Carla Lockhart has questioned whether investigations into concerns at AFBI’s Hillsborough site can command public confidence when the organis

Northern Ireland has no identified link to a rare case of classical BSE — commonly known as mad cow disease — confirmed on a farm in Scotland, Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir has said. The case was discovered on a farm in Dumfries and Galloway and identified through routine BSE surveillance. Movement restrictions have now been put in place while investigations continue to establish the origin of the case. Importantly, the affected animal did not enter the human food chain, a

Sculptor and climate activist Eoghan Daltun, whose journey to rewild an area in Ireland is chronicled in An Irish Atlantic Rainforest A remarkable effort to transform an ecologically damaged West Cork farm into a thriving native rainforest will be explored in a new two-part documentary series beginning this weekend. An Irish Atlantic Rainforest follows sculptor and climate activist Eoghan Daltun, who has spent years rewilding land on the rugged Beara Peninsula and allowing na

Jenni Barkley, Belfast Harbour & Fern Keeney, Live Here Love Here 6 August 2026 Families across Mid and East Antrim are being encouraged to make the most of the region’s coastline this month as a popular environmental campaign returns with a packed programme of free and low-cost activities designed to help people reconnect with the sea while highlighting the growing problem of marine litter. The Healthy Oceans Healthy Minds campaign, organised by Live Here Love Here, is back

Northern Ireland's first floating oyster reef has been launched at Glenarm Marina in partnership with Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. The innovative floating reef provides a sheltered home for more than 10,000 young native European oysters, helping to restore a lost marine habitat and support healthier seas. (All images and video © Ulster Wildlife) Northern Ireland’s first floating oyster reef has been launched at Glenarm Marina, creating a new home for thousands of nati

Electrical recycling point at one of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Household Recycling Centres (HRC) Residents across Mid and East Antrim are being urged to take extra care when disposing of batteries, vapes and electrical items after a series of potentially dangerous fire incidents at the borough’s Household Recycling Centres. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council says several recent near-misses have been caused by items being placed in the wrong recycling containers,

Thousands of eligible farm businesses across Northern Ireland are being given one final opportunity to register for the Soil Nutrient Health Scheme (SNHS) before missing out could result in reduced Farm Sustainability Payments from 2027. The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has announced that a final “mop-up” registration phase will open on Wednesday 5 August and close at midnight on Monday 7 September 2026. The deadline is significant because,

The Giant’s Causeway, on Northern Ireland’s North Antrim coastline. Thousands of coins wedged into the basalt columns of the Giant’s Causeway have now been removed after experts warned the long-standing visitor tradition was causing lasting damage to one of Northern Ireland’s most famous natural landmarks. The National Trust has confirmed that a major conservation project at the UNESCO World Heritage Site has been completed, with specialists removing 20.5kg of coins — around