After two years being led by a "former" farmer, DAERA’s dirty laundry is well and truly being aired in public now.
In recent weeks we learned the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs is being investigated by the UK Office for Environmental Protection over ammonia emissions advice to planners.
Then we reported how the same watchdog had to scrap a probe into DAERA’s environmental assessment regimes - because the Stormont Department cut the funding it is providing OEP this year.
Read more: Sec of State blasted over policy that 'could turn NI coastline into cesspit'
There’s the fact Edwin Poots didn’t come up with a clean air strategy, an ammonia strategy or even a marine plan - although he’s not entirely to blame as some of these have been on the shelf for a decade.
But, reading between the lines, it’s probably tactical that we don’t have those things in place because each of them would have been a massive barrier to the approval of huge humungous pig and chicken farms in environments already choking under the burden of farm pollution.
Then there’s the application to store gas under Larne Lough which will create a dead zone in the sea.
A marine plan would not have helped Harland & Wolff aka Islandmagee Energy and formerly Infrastrata’s bid to eek out seven huge caverns under the supposedly protected Larne Lough in an area that’s teeming with all sorts of wildlife we have laws in place to protect.
And it has, once again when it comes to environmental matters in this wee place, fallen to the public and NGOs to fight such plans.
I don’t expect the outcome of that Judicial Review will come before Autumn - but there is no doubt it’s a landmark case.
One in which our urgent need to protect nature, when half of all species face extinction, and the usual approach of putting profits of some faraway shareholders above the very pillars of life.
While DAERA is grappling with all these things, officials in the Department have also been busy getting their ducks in a row when it comes to climate crisis.
We saw earlier this week that once again we emitted far more greenhouse gases that we should have.
But now environmental chiefs have opened a public consultation on proposals to drive them down. And we have to take our hat off to them for that.
I’m not delighted that we are not having a conversation about reducing livestock numbers when the Climate Change Committee says we have to reduce our meat intake by 49% to meet net zero by 2050 and think this is a mistake.
Now is the time to be having these conversations, talking to farmers and giving them other options when it comes to how they farm.
I reported earlier in the week, that despite having around 2% of the UK population - we emit over 5% of the total emissions.
We are doing shockingly bad on cutting those emissions, like we know we have too - again coming in last place in the UK-wide race to net zero.
It really doesn’t surpise me to be honest after two years with a Minister who consigned this century’s biggest fight to the bottom of his pile, while giving farmers every leg-up and by-ball possible.
That meant passing marine licenses for projects he knew would hurt marine life and maybe even turning a bling eye to potentially fraudulent soil sample documents being used to get planning permission for humungous pig farms.
It wasn’t until old Pootsy was away that NIEA opened an investigation into 108 applications for intensive livestock farms - for over 40,000 chooks or 2,000 pigs - that NIEA launched two investigations in October.
But he can't be held totally accountable as the discrepancies date back to 2015.
The Detail report NIEA opened an investigation after being “unable to verify” results of key samples because “the purported analysing laboratory” listed on the planning documents had no record of all, or the majority, of recorded samples.
This, my friends, is scandal of major proportions as it suggests planners were being fed information that was either falsified or did not exist.
I’m glad to see they are investigating - but the allegations here are potentially fraudulent and should be investigated by police.
Have your say on our carbon budget
The first consultation on Northern Ireland’s carbon budgets was launched this week.
It will dictate the maximum amount of greenhouse gases we will be able to emit across three periods - from 2023-2027, 2028-2032 and 2033-2037, as well on the interim targets that should be set for 2030 and 2040 for reductions in greenhouse gases.
By law, Northern Ireland has to reach net zero by 2050 and reduce our greenhouse gases by at least 48% by 2030.
It’s not going to be easy, but there are many ways we can get there.
They include reducing car journeys, reducing emissions from farming, industry and homes as well as encouraging more active travel, planting a lot more trees and restoring our peatlands.
But it could also mean a lot of new eco-focused jobs.
I would urge each and every person with an interest in passing a better planet onto the next generation to get involved. It will run from June 21 to October 16.
DAERA Permanent Secretary, Katrina Godfrey, said: “We need to understand the best trajectory to ensure the legally binding emissions targets contained in the Climate Change Act are delivered and this consultation is designed to help us do this.
“Continuing to follow many of the policies and programmes that predate the Climate Change Act will not deliver the progress that is now needed and... a very different, climate-focused approach to decision-making on policy interventions and the investment of public funds is going to be required.
“We want to use this consultation to provide the evidence and insights that will allow us to advise returning ministers on the steps they will need to take, not only to comply with the law but also to protect and enhance our environment, air, and water quality and to promote green growth.
“It is clear that Northern Ireland is well placed when it comes to identifying new opportunities and developing the new technologies and expertise that could generate real competitive advantage and help us develop new, greener economic opportunities.”
DAERA is planning public events, stakeholder engagement and more to inform the development of our first Climate Action Plan.
We might be years behind many others on these islands - but it's a good start.
Have your say at https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/consultations/carbonbudget
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