DAERA consulting on tighter air quality standards

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has launched a public consultation on proposals to strengthen Northern Ireland’s statutory air quality standards for particulate matter.

Particulate matter comes from sources including domestic burning, transport, industry and agriculture.

What is particulate matter?

Particulate matter (PM) refers to tiny solid or liquid particles suspended in the air. PM10 and PM2.5 are two pollutants closely linked to respiratory and cardiovascular disease.

• PM10 are particles up to 10 micrometres in diameter, around one fifth the width of a human hair.
• PM2.5 are smaller particles, up to 2.5 micrometres in diameter, which can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream.

Scope of the proposals

The consultation proposes new legal limits measured in micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³), the standard unit used to measure pollutant concentrations in the air.

DAERA proposes replacing older EU derived standards with stricter annual limits, targets and objectives aligned with the World Health Organization’s Interim Target 4, a benchmark increasingly adopted across the UK and Ireland.

The proposed changes are:

PM10

• Annual limit value: reduced from 40 to 20 µg/m³.
• Annual objective: reduced from 40 to 20 µg/m³.

PM2.5

• Annual limit value: reduced from 25 to 10 µg/m³.
• Annual target value: reduced from 25 to 8 µg/m³.

DAERA’s analysis of monitoring data from 2019 to 2024 indicates that most monitoring sites already meet the proposed standards, with any exceedances being minor. All monitored sites were fully compliant in 2023 and 2024.

Compliance and implementation

Two changes to timing are proposed:

• Annual objectives would need to be met for each calendar year from 1 January to 31 December 2027.
• All new limits, targets and objectives would become legally binding from 1 January 2028.

Have your say

The full consultation document can be accessed here. The deadline for responses is Monday 31 August 2026.

RSUA is considering a response to this consultation. If you would like to share your views, please contact Curtis Large, RSUA Policy and Public Affairs Officer, at curtis@rsua.org.uk