IEEP UK authors: Michael Nicholson, Holly Tomlinson, and David Baldock

Brexit introduced new complexities for environmental governance, especially in Northern Ireland, which shares a land border with the EU and remains partially aligned with EU law under the Windsor Framework.  

To better understand these challenges, the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) commissioned a report examining how regulatory divergence could affect nutrient management and the protection of shared ecosystems.  

The findings state that while some divergence is inevitable, coordination – both east-west and north-south, is essential to safeguard Northern Ireland’s environment.  

The study was delivered by experts from IEEP UK, Miller Research, and Environmental Justice Network Ireland. It reviewed historical and current regulations, assessed nutrient management policies, and explored future scenarios. Additionally a “Divergence Register” was developed to track and categorize differences across key domains.

You can access the full report and Divergence Register on the OEP website by clicking here.

Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash