Lough Neagh: Earl of Shaftesbury to meet stakeholders in Northern Ireland as it emerges that Blue-green algae is "back with a vengeance"
The Earl of Shaftesbury, who owns the bed and soil of Lough Neagh, will today travel to Belfast to discuss its future with stakeholders, after it emerged the Blue-green algae is "back with a vengeance".
Nicholas Ashley-Cooper is to meet Stormont's environment minister, Andrew Muir, amid renewed calls for him to transfer ownership.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Mr Muir said he was looking forward to discussing "how any possible transfer into community ownership could be achieved".
Last year saw the lough blighted by large blooms of potentially toxic blue-green algae.
Lough Neagh is the UK's largest freshwater lake – it supplies about half of Belfast's drinking water and about 40% of Northern Ireland's overall.
People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll said the earl has "no right to Lough Neagh" and should give it "back into public ownership before leaving Belfast".
The Shaftesbury estate has held ownership of the bed and soil of Lough Neagh since the 19th century, after the Chichester family took control in the 17th century.
Lord Shaftesbury, who is the 12th member of his family to hold the title of earl of Shaftesbury, told BBC News NI last year he was open to the idea of selling the Lough but would not be giving it away.
Following a meeting with Andrew Muir in February, he said his position had not changed.
At the start of June, Mr Muir announced a range of actions to tackle the problems of Lough Neagh.
The measures are part of the Lough Neagh Report and Action Plan that fall under his department.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Lough Neagh Partnership expressed "profound disappointment over the Northern Ireland Executive’s failure to approve a critical action plan to prioritise addressing this environmental catastrophe".
Gerry Darby from the group said: “It has come as no surprise that the algae is back with a vengeance, as it was only a matter of time with the right weather conditions that it would reappear."
In July 2023, blue-green algae had appeared on Lough Neagh at a level not seen since the 1970s.
In 2024, the Department for Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs (Daera) recorded 47 confirmed reports of blue-green algae.
Seventeen of these confirmed sightings have been on Lough Neagh.
On Tuesday, Daera advised people against bathing at Rea's Wood in Lough Neagh due to "the presence of a thick algal scum".