Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir has appointed a three-person independent panel to review current environmental governance in NI and advise him on the potential for a new independent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in NI.

The panel is to be chaired by Queen’s University politics lecturer, Dr Viviane Gravey, who will be assisted by former National Trust employee, Diane Ruddock, and Co Down farmer, John McCallister, who recently led the land mobility programme in NI.

Announcing the review on Tuesday, Minister Muir confirmed that a “stakeholder reference group” will be established to support the work of the panel, with an interim report due in spring 2025, ahead of a final report to be published next summer.

The minister also reiterated his support for a new independent EPA to be set up in NI, however he also acknowledged the “complexity” of current arrangements. As well as DAERA’s NI Environment Agency (NIEA), there is the new Office for Environmental Protection, with plans also in place for a NI climate commissioner and a just transition commission.

“Many people come to me and say that they want an independent EPA. What I have not heard, however, is exactly what its functions should be, what it should do and how it would fit into the way forward for the environmental governance landscape,” said the minister.