DAERA officials are working with farming and environmental groups to “unlock” issues around planning permission for farm sheds, Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir has said.

Speaking at Stormont on Tuesday, Minister Muir described ammonia emissions in NI as “stubbornly high”.

“I am determined to find a pathway to reduce them as well as supporting sustainable development in the agriculture sector,” the Alliance MLA said.

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“Following engagement with farming and environment sector representatives late last year, I believe that we can work together to develop a NI-wide ammonia support programme to unlock the issue,” he said.

Minister Muir acknowledged that amending planning rules on ammonia to allow replacement sheds to be built was a key issue that needed to be addressed.

“We can find a way forward that reduces ammonia emissions and deals with the practical issues that have been reported to me by the agriculture community,” he said.

Consultation

Minister Muir made the comments as he launched an eight-week public consultation on a draft nature recovery strategy for NI.

The document mostly contains high-level targets and commitments to publish further plans to address specific environmental issues in NI.

“I am determined to see it not just in place but implemented, putting nature firmly on the road to recovery,” Minister Muir said.