A consultation on draft regulations intended to tighten Northern Ireland’s annual-average particulate-matter standards remains open until 31 August, with DAERA proposing limits, targets and objectives for PM10 and PM2.5. The proposed compliance date is 1 January 2028.
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs is consulting on the Draft Air Quality Amendment Regulations Northern Ireland 2026. The exercise concerns annual-average standards for the two forms of particulate matter identified in the draft proposals.
DAERA says the proposed measures are intended to align with the World Health Organization’s interim target 4 guideline levels. That is the department’s stated basis for the direction of the proposed annual PM10 and PM2.5 requirements.
The regulations remain in draft form while the consultation is under way. The annual-average limits, targets and objectives are therefore proposals for consideration, rather than standards that have already entered into force in Northern Ireland.
If the regulations proceed as proposed, the department has identified 1 January 2028 as the intended date for compliance. The date is not an indication that the draft rules are currently operative, as the consultation continues until the end of August.
The consultation covers particulate matter measured as PM10 and PM2.5, and focuses specifically on annual averages. DAERA’s proposals would establish tighter limits, targets and objectives for those pollutants, with alignment to the specified WHO interim guideline level intended.
Responses can be submitted before the 31 August closing date. The consultation will inform consideration of the draft regulations, while any future requirements remain subject to the outcome of that process and are not yet in force.