Blog by Dr. Jane Clarke, Nature Protection Policy Officer, RSPB NI
Picture this, it is 1 January 2024 and as you ring in the new year hundreds of laws protecting the natural environment across Northern Ireland have just ceased to exist. Standards and protections put in place to safeguard our most precious species and habitats and ensure the water we drink or air we breathe is safe, are a distant memory. Seems drastic I know, but this is the threat posed by the UK Government’s new Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill. Read on to find out how this bill will affect nature in Northern Ireland…
Much of our environmental law originates from the European Union. When the UK left the EU there was a need to maintain environmental protections by copying and pasting standards and regulations into our domestic legal framework. These laws, of which there are thousands, are known as ‘Retained EU Law’ and are the focus of a new UK Government bill: the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill (the ‘REUL Bill’).
At the heart of this bill is a requirement for Ministers in Westminster and the devolved administrations to repeal or replace all retained EU law by 31st December 2023. This means if Ministers do not specifically save pieces of law then they will simply stop applying after the 2023 ‘sun-set’.
The UK Government have so far compiled a list of 570 pieces but we know there are more to be counted, including the Habitats Regulations that protect the most important places for nature. To make things more confusing, and concerning, there are hundreds of laws that were created in the NI Assembly that are within the scope of this bill.
This bill represents the single biggest change to environmental law in recent history, and the rush to meet the 2023 sun-set date is a massive ask for departments and creates unnecessary risk.
We are facing an unnecessary cliff edge, made worse by Northern Ireland’s ongoing political instability. Reviewing and replacing or repealing hundreds of laws will be a challenge for functioning devolved administrations. But with no Executive or Assembly to scrutinise either the bill, or proposals for reform, this bill poses a huge threat to the natural environment.
Northern Ireland is the 12th worst country in the world for the amount of nature left, so this potential bonfire of environmental protections is a risk that nature simply cannot afford.
Now, more than ever we need strong political leadership, where ambition and pace of action reflects the nature and climate crisis.
Make no mistake, this bill is an attack on nature, and we are angry.
A Nature Positive Northern Ireland is possible but not if vital laws are scrapped. We want you to tell your MP how you feel. Take action with us and contact your MP with our prepopulated letter, letting them know that you support nature’s protection in Northern Ireland and that destruction of our laws and regulations will not be carried out in your name!
Take action here