Speaking in the assembly on Tuesday, TUV MLA Timothy Gaston said: "To ensure harmony, at the opening of my contribution, I will first look at what we all can agree on. We all can agree that Lough Neagh is of huge value to the people of Northern Ireland. We can all agree that, as the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles, it is vital for wildlife, fisheries and the wider community, in general.
"On that, we are all agreed. Equally, no one in the chamber can dispute the fact that the blue-green algae issue that was first sighted in the lough in 1923 is a very serious problem, and one that we, as legislators, must address. However, at this juncture, I believe that I will part company with the environmentalists.
"There are all too many in the house and outside it who are looking for a scapegoat for what is, in reality, a complex and multifaceted problem. The issue is real, but the narrative to always blame the farmer is not. We hear the mad environmentalists, both inside the chamber and outside, lamenting that the farmer is always to blame."
Mr Gaston continued: "We always hear about the ecological disaster of biblical proportions. We hear about the horror stories that the lough is dead and that the algae kills all that lives within it, even though it has been a recurring problem for many years. Do not forget, however, that Northern Ireland Water, which dumps a reported 200,000 tons of raw sewage into the lough each year, tells us that the water is safe to drink, and, let us face it, eel commercial fishing has largely been replaced by those now fishing for trout instead. That shows me that the lough is not dead.
"The crisis is being used to drive an environmental agenda.
"Let us look at the facts: first, an overlooked factor is the issue of Russian zebra mussels, an invasive species that, since around 2005, has been reshaping the character of Lough Neagh.
"Those filter-feeding invaders have exploded in population over the past two decades. They strip out plankton from the water, disrupting the food chain and, by concentrating phosphorus in the sediments, they fuel the algae blooms, which we are trying to control, due to the sunlight now being able to shine through the cleaner water. Many ask who brought the zebra mussels to Lough Neagh in the first place. Nobody can tell us.
"Secondly, we have the elephant in the room, which I have already mentioned: one which, when I first came to the house, the Minister was keen to ignore. That is the issues relating to sewage, storm overflows and trade effluent. When I first raised that point in the house, shortly after my arrival in this place, Minister Muir told me that he did not want to get into a blame game. My question, and the minister's response, are on record, and, should he wish to dispute it, it is in the Hansard report of 1 October 2024 for all to see. When I raised that point again on 4 November 2024, the story was similar.
"I trust that we can all now agree that the discharge of untreated sewage directly into rivers and into Lough Neagh, carrying phosphorus, organic matter and bacteria, all of which exacerbate algae growth, needs to stop. Industrial trade effluent adds yet more nutrients to the system. That is another aspect of this whole issue that is regulated by the Northern Ireland Executive through Northern Ireland Water.
"Let us not forget that the latest algae blooms correlated with COVID, when we saw a sharp increase in people's use of cleaning products in their homes. Could that be a factor? Have we considered that?"
The TUV MLA concluded: "Before we look to the farmers, we need to heed the words of scripture: 'Physician, heal thyself'.
"Let us concede, for the sake of argument, that the parties that want to see agriculture in the province driven to the wall through their NAP and the climate action plan are correct.
"Let us not forget that the same party and Minister kept AgriSearch out of the NAP stakeholder forum. Those who do not support their mad net-zero policies are approaching this from a different place and are doing so dispassionately.
"Which of those parties supported the Going for Growth strategy?
"They need to reflect on that.
"All those parties were happy to support Going for Growth when it suited them and now they want to turn their backs on the farmer."