Smart Net-Zero

March 19, 2026 | BBC News |

The Northern Ireland Executive has approved the third Climate Change Adaptation Programme (NICCAP3), a strategic framework comprising 280 actions from 2024–2029. Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir stated that the plan addresses immediate threats such as severe flooding and climate-sensitive animal diseases impacting regional productivity. Key initiatives include a Sustainable Agriculture Programme and a Food Strategy Framework to support cross-departmental resilience. The article illustrates the necessity of these policies through local farming challenges. One vegetable grower reported that extreme weather patterns have forced a shift to manual harvesting to manage mud, significantly increasing labor costs. Additionally, a livestock farmer has adopted regenerative grazing to protect soil health during increasingly unpredictable wet periods. By integrating such on-farm innovations with policy-led initiatives, the programme aims to stabilize food systems and position the region as a resilient hub for climate-smart agriculture.