The issue of planning permission applications being held up due to ammonia emissions will not be resolved in the short term, Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) members have been warned.

Speaking at the North West Derry Group AGM, the UFU’s head of policy James McGluggage said that an ongoing legal challenge against Shared Environment Services (SES) was “only the start of it”.

SES advises local councils on planning issues and the UFU started legal proceedings against the body last November over its decision to tighten rules on ammonia emissions without prior consultation.

McGluggage said that even if the UFU’s case is successful, it will lead to a wider debate on the original thresholds for ammonia that were in place before SES changed them last year.

The original ammonia thresholds in planning rules were set by the NI Environment Agency (NIEA), which is part of DAERA.

“SES still genuinely believes that the NIEA thresholds are incorrect. As for NIEA, we don’t know what they now think because they aren’t talking about it. It is really up to the new Minister of Agriculture to say what way this is going,” McGluggage said.

Evidence

He suggested that the entire agri food sector will need to come together and produce evidence that the industry can expand production in an environmentally sustainable way.

“There is going to have to be a lot of money spent on scientists, ecologists and consultants, but it will be money well spent,” he added.

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