Ulster Unionists call for Stormont's climate goals to be revised - rejecting DUP plan to 'abandon' policy

​Robbie Butler has also acknowledged that the current plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 are “increasingly” unrealistic.

The party had until last year stuck by the 2022 Climate Change Act, which was passed by MLAs despite warnings that it would be unlikely the province could meet the “ambitious” goals it set.

Last October, then-UUP leader Mike Nesbitt was still backing the legislation, but left open the possibility of revising targets further down the line. During his leadership bid, Jon Burrows said the party should “go further and be clearer” on changing Stormont’s net zero laws – and simply pushing the unrealistic targets further down the road “would not be a wise approach”.

This week, the DUP proposed that the DAERA minister withdraw the Climate Action Plan, but Mr Butler, the UUP agriculture spokesperson, has urged a “pragmatic and balanced approach”, warning against “political gestures that abandons ambition of climate change” rather than reshaping it.

“It is without doubt that the targets set in the previous mandate, voted on by all parties in the Assembly, set a very high bar. As a party we’ve been clear and recognised that those targets were ambitious and, in light of current realities, increasingly are unrealistic for 2030 and beyond to 2050”, he said.

“This accumulation of failures has left us in a position where a revision of those targets would have been far more reasonable than the full withdrawal now being proposed by the DUP. We have seen elsewhere, most notably in Scotland, that when targets prove unworkable, they are revised and a new framework is put in place. That is the mature and responsible approach.

“The UUP will not allow unreachable targets to break the back of our people or our industries. NI has a role to play in meeting the UK's wider climate ambitions, but we cannot pursue unachievable goals at the cost of our farming communities, our businesses, and our economy”.

The Lagan Valley MLA added: “We want to see a balanced, circular economy solution that recognises the environment and the economy exist in tandem, not in isolation. For too long, the burden of climate and environmental ambition has fallen disproportionately on our farmers. It is time for the Executive to take note, for genuine collaboration to take place, and for revised targets that reflect Northern Ireland's unique circumstances.

“We will not allow the agricultural community to remain the sole carrier of this responsibility; with over 60% of our Farm produce going to export, feeding around 10 million people across the UK, and with suppliers and consumers demanding ethically and sustainably sourced produce, it is vital that our farmers are supported to be central to that circular economy reality. Turning nutrient surplus into nutrient opportunity is exactly the kind of practical thinking that should be driving this agenda.

“Our Party is committed to addressing climate change in a meaningful and deliverable way. Stunts such as full withdrawal do nothing to reframe ambition; they simply accept defeat. You need only ask our farmers about the very real effects of climate change: the wettest start to a year in living memory is a direct consequence of inaction, and we must do our part.

“On Monday, the Ulster Unionist Party will bring forward a motion on Anaerobic Digestion and Food and Energy Security, a practical, costed solution that addresses both sustainable energy provision and environmental concerns. Farmers must be central to the design and delivery of any future Climate Action Plan. That is our commitment, and that is the standard we will hold Government to.”