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A blog from the Northern Ireland Assembly Research and Information Service

Agriculture and Environment Blog Archive

Here you will find an archive of Agriculture & Environment Blog articles published before 1 May 2022, divided into their relevant categories.

Agriculture

An image of a farming landscape in Ireland
2020 was already set to be a challenging year for farmers across the UK. Having finally reached an agreed Withdrawal Agreement with the EU, the UK is set to…
Image depicting a farm with a dramatic sky
In this Mental Health Awareness Week, which also coincides with this year’s Balmoral Show, this article examines an issue which has received comparatively little attention and on which, so…
Sample form used by applicants for direct payments (DAERA)
A key issue within Northern Ireland since the UK’s decision to leave the EU in June 2016 is exactly how this decision will affect local farming?…

Energy

Image of wind farm in front of a setting sun
There was considerable growth in the development of renewable electricity over the previous Northern Ireland Assembly mandate. Changes to renewable electricity support may impact the ability to achieve similar levels…

Environment

Ash dieback positive sites (November 2012 - December 2015; image: Forest Service)
The plant disease and invasive species threat posed to the environment in Northern Ireland is increasing, and likely to continue to do so due to factors such as increasing…
Mullygarry, Fermanagh; after thirty-five consecutive days of rain in 2009, the water levels on Lough Erne rose to 158ft above sea level, the highest since records began in 1956 (image Dean Molyneaux, under Creative Commons).
Prolonged heavy rainfall over the winter of 2015 has shown how devastating flooding can be to homes, businesses and critical infrastructure. With predictions that localised flooding will become an…
Rainclouds and a rainbow over the sea (Creative Commons; credit: Niklas Sjöblom)
At the beginning of the last Assembly mandate in 2011, the Research and Information Service wrote a piece on the possibility of new legislation for Northern Ireland, ‘Climate Change:…

Fisheries

An image showing Lough Foyle
Lough Foyle is a valuable ecosystem and fishery situated on the border between the UK and Republic of Ireland. The maritime boundary – and ownership of the Lough –…
Fishing boats in Ardglass harbour (Creative Commons; Image: Ardfern)
Despite not being particularly large in overall UK terms, the sea fishing industry in Northern Ireland makes a significant contribution to the economy of the three County Down ports…

Rural Affairs

Image depicting a farm with a dramatic sky
In this Mental Health Awareness Week, which also coincides with this year’s Balmoral Show, this article examines an issue which has received comparatively little attention and on which, so…