The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) says it has been waiting on the publication of the draft Ammonia Strategy for some time, following the announcement by DAERA that a consultation has been launched seeking views on the proposals. The UFU has been working on ammonia policy for a considerable period and this issue continues to be a major stumbling block in the planning process for many farm developments.
UFU president David Brown said, “Northern Ireland farmers fully recognise the need to reduce ammonia emissions on farm. It remains a huge challenge for the industry, but our members care about the environment and are willing to do their bit to reduce emissions. This is evident by the significant uptake of Low Emission Slurry Spreading Equipment (LESSE) in recent years which is part of the solution to reducing ammonia emissions.
“The release of the draft ammonia strategy is a step in the right direction however, we have deep concerns about some of the proposed measures within the strategy. This includes the practical and financial impacts on NI farms. We will now be taking the time to thoroughly scrutinise this strategy in depth within our committee structures, and once we have done so we’ll be able to comment further on the draft.”
