The environment should unite us all

But even safety mechanisms fail. A decade ago, the Executive launched a ‘Going For Growth’ strategy to boost the agri-food sector. Almost everyone cheered.

Stormont couldn’t make Northern Ireland any bigger; indeed, its policy of allowing bungalows to be built across the countryside meant it was taking land out of agricultural production. Instead, it used hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money to incentivise farmers to become more intensive.

Traditional farming was increasingly seen as antiquated. To compete in the modern world, Northern Ireland needed vast factory farms, or so the theory went.

There were always awkward questions about animal welfare under this approach: cooping tens of thousands of chickens in vast sheds they only leave to be killed was always ethically questionable, even if it was argued this meant cheap food.

But there are other hidden costs which are now starting to land not just on Stormont’s doormat, but are being borne by us all. Dramatically increasing the number of animals created an obvious problem. With no more land on which to spread their excrement, much of it leached into our waterways, ending up in Lough Neagh.

This strategy turned parts of Northern Ireland into an animal toilet while shareholders thousands of miles away grew rich.

Protecting the environment is not just worthy in itself, but something which makes economic sense. Leaving our children to either live in a polluted world or with the bill to undo what we have done is greedy and irresponsible.

Now Stormont’s Agriculture Minister, Andrew Muir, has admitted Going For Growth was a “mistake”. Alliance once backed the strategy but belated acceptance of reality is preferable to unsustainable denial of the obvious. Michelle O’Neill, who implemented the policy, and the DUP, who championed it, have been far more reluctant to admit their error.

Mr Muir is right to draw up plans for a truly independent environmental protection agency. Had that happened 20 years ago, perhaps Lough Neagh would now be a scene of recreation and teeming with wildlife, rather than a place over which hangs the stench of death.

There is much on which Stormont’s parties will inevitably disagree. Protecting the environment ought to be a rare opportunity for agreement.