UFU Deputy President John McLenaghan, on his farm near Garvagh. Picture: Cliff Donaldson
The Ulster Farmers’ Union has expressed serious concern following inaccurate comments made by a representative of NI Water claiming that 70% of water pollution originates from the agricultural sector and stating that as ‘fact’.
The UFU has described the statement as misleading and inappropriate, stressing that nutrient modelling is, by its nature, an estimate based on assumptions and available data and certainly cannot be presented as definitive fact.
UFU Deputy President John McLenaghan said, “It is totally wrong to describe modelling as fact and more so when presenting the wrong estimated percentage alongside that. All modelling carries a degree of uncertainty and margin of error. Any modelling work around the apportionment of nutrients in Lough Neagh that the UFU has seen, has raised serious questions about the reliability of the data sources. That makes it impossible to treat the outputs as definitive, and they certainly should not be quoted as fact.”
The UFU emphasised that while agriculture recognises its responsibility in improving water quality, all sectors must play a part.
Mr McLenaghan continued, “Farmers have been complying with increasingly stringent regulations for two decades, investing heavily in storage and following complex rules around nutrient management. Over the past month, they have worked tirelessly in extremely wet conditions to manage nutrients responsibly. At the same time, our members continue to report discharges of what they believe to be raw sewage into waterways. Improving water quality must be a shared responsibility.”
The UFU confirmed it has contacted NI Water directly to highlight the inaccuracies and request that the statement made be retracted alongside an apology to the sector.
