Minister Nesbitt launches Breastfeeding Action Plan

Date published: 21 July 2026

Breastival is Northern Ireland’s annual breastfeeding festival, dedicated to normalising breastfeeding and supporting families. The festival aims to empower women to make informed feeding choices while promoting a culture of understanding and acceptance, free from stigma or negative judgement.

Breastfeeding is an important public health issue, and evidence shows that it brings significant benefits for both mothers and babies, improving health outcomes across the life course. 

The Action Plan was co-developed by the Department of Health and the Public Health Agency (PHA), with valuable input from stakeholders across the health, community and voluntary sectors. It aims to increase awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding and changing the public’s attitudes to breastfeeding. The vision is to make Northern Ireland a society where breastfeeding is normalised, and women are empowered and supported to breastfeed. 

The plan aims to improve breastfeeding support, create more breastfeeding-friendly environments, and reduce inequalities. It will deliver targeted actions including enhanced staff training, expanded community support, public awareness initiatives, and measurable targets to increase breastfeeding rates. 

Speaking at the Breastival event, Minister Nesbitt said: 

Breastfeeding can bring significant health benefits to babies, as well as mothers, and can give children the best possible start in life. Breastfeeding rates in Northern Ireland remain lower than we would like, and significant inequalities continue to exist. Addressing those inequalities must remain a key area of focus.

That is why the Breastfeeding Action Plan is so important. There is no single breastfeeding journey. Every mother, baby and family has their own circumstances, challenges and successes. By recognising and celebrating that diversity, we can help create a culture where women feel supported and empowered to make the choices that are right for them and their families.

The Minister also recognised the importance of Breastival. He added: 

I want to recognise the excellent contribution made by Breastival. Through its creativity, advocacy and community engagement, it has played an important role in raising awareness, building supportive communities and helping to normalise breastfeeding across Northern Ireland. I would like to thank everyone involved for their continued commitment and dedication.

Deidre Ward, Interim Assistant Director for Starting Well at the PHA said:

 Breastfeeding provides extraordinary benefits for both babies and also mothers. It gives children the best possible start in life and also improves their health and development throughout life. However, we know that many women face challenges with breastfeeding and that support from families, communities, healthcare professionals is essential. We also know that how our society more widely, in its attitudes and beliefs, workplace environments and social media, can make it easier - or much harder - for women and families to follow the infant feeding practice they want.

The PHA has worked closely with the Department of Health and partners to develop the Breastfeeding Action Plan, which sets out clear actions to create a society where breastfeeding is understood, welcomed and supported.

Through strengthening support services, raising awareness and tackling inequalities, we are committed to implementing the plan and helping to build a society where breastfeeding is normalised and mothers feel empowered and supported to make the feeding choices that are right for their family.

Jennifer Hanratty, Breastival Board Chair and Co-Founder said: 

We welcome the new action plan's ambition to accelerate improvement in breastfeeding outcomes. We're heartened to see that normalising breastfeeding and empowering women are strong features of the new plan. We will continue to advocate for monitoring and implementation of the plan to place women's lived experience at the centre. 

This action plan will bring renewed energy and commitment from all partners and we are ready to work alongside the many other committed stakeholders to improve the system of supports and protections for the benefit of all women, infants and families.