OEP024-01 Evaluation of Approaches to Addressing the Nutrient Surplus in Northern Ireland

Objectives

To evaluate the effectiveness of government plans to reduce the nutrient surplus in Northern Ireland.

This objective will be achieved through review and critical appraisal of the following areas, as described further in Section 5:

Evaluation of the effectiveness of the Nutrient Action Programme in reducing the nutrient surplus and its impact on the environment.

Assessment of how other strategies and policies will impact the nutrient surplus and their effects on the environment.

Development of indicators to monitor government progress in addressing the nutrient surplus over time.

The scope of this project will focus on both nitrogen and phosphorus at the scale of the food system in Northern Ireland. We are interested in the overall national nutrient balances rather than those at farm, catchment or regional scale. For this project, we define the food system as the interconnected network of activities that link food production, processing, consumption, waste, and emissions to the environment. It will include the agriculture, wastewater, energy, and waste sectors, as well as any others that may impact the nutrient surplus. The project will evaluate scenarios of nutrient management within the food system and their impact on emissions of nitrogen and phosphorus to the air and water environment.