They say factory farm installations in the UK have risen by 12% between 2016 and 2023, threatening waterways and water quality.

Stormont’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) said its minister, Andrew Muir, was “determined to provide the leadership needed to address the issues in Northern Ireland’s waterways”.

Daera’s spokesperson added Mr Muir has been “clear that collective action and investment across government, the agri-food and public sectors and by the community will be needed”.

A recent report by the Office for Environmental Protection found land use and pollution, linked to agricultural intensification, were the principal pressures on nature in Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland director of Friends of the Earth, James Orr, said farming intensification under the Going for Growth strategy was “designed to deliver profits for the big international companies at the expense of family farmers, Lough Neagh and public health”.

And he added it was “about time” intensive factory farm models were exposed.

“We need a better agricultural system to protect the health of both habitats and human wellbeing.”

Mr Orr called for a ban on “all expansion and new intensive units, and funding directed to regenerative farming”.

“Farmers should be supported to transition away from the intensive model to a truly sustainable agricultural practice,” he said.