Muir hosts the Better Beaches Forum at Crawfordsburn

Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir has opened the Better Beaches Forum at the Crawfordsburn Countryside Centre.

The Forum is led by DAERA and is a collaboration between all of those with a role in managing our beaches and bathing waters. During the afternoon, the Forum considered how to simplify the messages and improve service for the public, how to deal with marine wildlife strandings and the investigative work on pollution at Ballyholme.

Opening the event, the Minister said: “It’s great to be here at the Better Beaches Forum in Crawfordsburn Country Park, and it’s been fantastic to engage with a range of stakeholders about the issues we’re working collaboratively to address. The Forum plays an important role in the overall goals of improving water quality, facilities managements and signage.

“We should be encouraged by the good performance of our bathing waters in 2024 with all coastal sites meeting the standards, despite the gloomy weather. I want to thank you, as our partners in delivering the bathing water programme to ensure good information for bathers and the Northern Ireland public. I am also particularly interested to hear about the excellent collaborative working to improve bathing water quality at Ballyholme.  It is very good news that Ballyholme bathing water, having failed to reach minimum quality in the last two years, has met the standards in 2024.  I want to thank our partners in NI Water and AFBI for your work with my Department to get to the source of the problem. This is the type of approach we need to take to improve water quality across Northern Ireland and in Lough Neagh.”

Speaking about the recent Office of Environmental Protection report on bathing waters in Northern Ireland, Minister Muir reiterated that he welcomes this report concluding that DAERA is implementing the Regulations fully. He told the Forum: “You will appreciate that we have already been looking at some of the OEP recommendations collectively, such as extending the bathing season.  I want to reassure you that I will be working closely with partners to develop any future policy direction. I will take time to consider the recommendations fully within the three month timescale for responding.” 

He added: “I have also launched a Review of Environmental Governance in Northern Ireland which will strengthen my commitment to ensuring that we have the right structures in place to protect our environment, to hold individuals and organisations to account and to ensure that the ‘polluter pays’ principle is upheld.”