Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses. The report by the IFA referred to the threat of flooding to adjacent land and the water table at local level. It stated these would present a risk to health and safety and farm machinery and asked the working group to keep local farmers informed. Lack of communication with the stakeholders is a thread that seems to run through every committee meeting with the Department. It comes across in the three earlier reports. What is the level of engagement between the witnesses, Bord na Móna and the stakeholders regarding turbary rights? Will the witnesses outline their concerns about future ownership and their concerns, similar to the NARGC about using the land to offset carbon emissions with storage of carbon in bogs?

The ICMSA report stated that peatland rehabilitation guidelines should be published and its impact on local roads addressed. Is enough thought being given to alternative ways of rehabilitating these bogs? Is the prospect of rewetting near farmlands having an impact on farmers' ability to sell their land and the price of their land?

On the NARGC report, we are all aware that a one-dimensional, one-size-fits-all approach does not work and will not work in this case. Different bogs will need different rehabilitation measures. Has the work carried out at the bogs over the decades changed the local water table or the capacity of the bogs to hold water? If so, is enough attention being paid to this? Under the current plans, could some areas go from lake to desert and back again with flooding? What would be the result of that in these areas?