NI minister slams ‘vile homophobic, racist and misogynistic' on social media over Nutrients Action Programme
Andrew Muir was pressed to abandon the proposed plan for 2026-29 which is currently out for consultation during questions for his department in the Assembly on Tuesday.
He was warned the proposals, aimed at improving water quality and the wider environment by reducing and preventing pollution caused or induced by nutrients from agricultural sources, could destroy the farming industry.
Opponents to the plan have argued that the measures currently proposed could devastate agriculture, reduce livestock numbers and undermine food security.
They have called on Mr Muir to bring forward a policy based on genuine partnership rather than punitive policies which risk the viability of our agricultural industry
Mr Muir told MLAs there is a requirement arising from the Lough Neagh Action Plan and also the Environmental Improvement Plan to review the Nutrients Action Plan.
He said it is about ensuring both financial and environmental sustainability, and emphasised they are currently undertaking a consultation on draft proposals, and that no final decisions have been taken.
Mr Muir also expressed concern that there is 'a lot of misinformation' around the proposals, and said the social media commentary around the plan in recent weeks has been disgraceful'.
'There's been misogynistic comments against officials in my department,' he said.
'There's been racist comments in relation to people that we are very, very fortunate to have working within our agri-food sector.
'And not for a very long time have I seen such vile homophobic comments about myself. I am a gay man, and I am proud to be a gay man, and it has no relevance whatsoever to the Nutrients Action Programme nor my ability to do this job.'
The consultation on the revised Nutrients Action Programme 2026-2029 is set to continue to July 24 2025.
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South Wales Guardian
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South Wales Argus
12 hours ago
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First Minister disappointed to not attend Belfast Pride this year
It comes after the Belfast Pride organisers asked political parties to not attend the parade this year in an official capacity, after Stormont backed a ban on puberty blockers. The parade started in 1991 and over the last 30 years has grown to be the largest single parade in Northern Ireland. The theme for this year's event is No Going Back, as organisers said there must be 'no turning back from the advances made in visibility, legal protections and societal recognition'. Alliance MLA and Stormont Agriculture and Environment Minister Andrew Muir, who is gay, has said he will be attending the Pride parade in a personal capacity, describing it as an important event. First Minister Michelle O'Neill said she will mark Pride in her own way, and hopes to be able to return to Belfast Pride next year. 'For me, Pride has always been about love and friendship, about celebrating people's identity and promoting inclusivity, and I have always been an advocate for equality and human rights, so it does make me sad that they have taken the decision that they have taken,' she told the BBC. 'However, I will continue to work with the organisers, I'll continue to work with all the organisations out there that represent the whole LGBTQIA+ community, and I would say to them all that whilst they celebrate Pride on Saturday, I hope that next year I also will be celebrating Pride with them. 'I will do so this Saturday in my own way, and I'll send them all, all the members of the LGBTQIA+ community that I, as your First Minister, am your ally, I will continue to be your ally and Sinn Fein as my party will also continue to be an ally.' Meanwhile, earlier this week it was reported that the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, Jayne Brady, was told they would be 'open to the charge of acting politically' by taking part in Belfast Pride. Ms O'Neill said she felt that as a major employer in Northern Ireland, the civil service should be represented, however TUV MLA Timothy Gaston said there was 'deep unease' among Christian civil servants. The First Minister said: 'We are an inclusive employer and I think it is absolutely appropriate that the head of that service should be there and walk in the celebration that is Pride on Saturday. 'We can't promote inclusivity and employ that many people, and not actually turn up on the day of celebration, so I commend that as the right approach to take. 'The civil service is an employer, and they're an employer of over 24,000 staff, many of those staff will be members of the LGBTQIA+ community so therefore, I think it is appropriate that the head of the civil service will be there and actually celebrate on Pride with many of the staff.' Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Andrew Muir (Liam McBurney/PA) Mr Muir said: 'I came out just under 30 years ago and, at that time as a young gay man struggling with my sexuality, I was looking to my employer, and my employer was saying, 'we're going to take part in Pride, we're going to show our support for our fellow LGBTQIA+ employees'. 'I'd be thinking, 'that's somewhere I want to work, that's somewhere I want to feel included', and I think that is really, really good, and I want to commend the leadership of the Northern Ireland Civil Service. Mr Gaston said he has written to Ms Brady to voice his concern after being contacted by Christian civil servants. 'Their concerns are not rooted in prejudice but in a principled belief that the Civil Service, as a publicly funded and supposedly apolitical body, should not be endorsing what is an overtly political and highly divisive campaign,' he said. 'Belfast Pride is not a neutral celebration. It is a platform for contentious political demands, including positions on gender ideology, family, education, and religious freedom, that are strongly contested. 'When the Civil Service appears to publicly align itself with such a movement, it sends a clear and troubling message: that one worldview is officially sanctioned, and others are to be marginalised or silenced. 'The Civil Service must be impartial, not just in its public actions but in the culture it cultivates within.'
