Mr. Ger Breen:

I thank the committee for providing the opportunity to Bord na Móna to attend this session of the Oireachtas joint committee. Before I answer the questions, I will address why we are doing rehabilitation. As has been mentioned by many public representatives, Ireland has ambitious carbon emission reduction targets by 2030. Due to the permanent ending of peat production and the rehabilitation of 33,000 ha, we will play a significant part in Ireland's climate action programme in the coming years. We will move from being a carbon source to a carbon store and eventually to becoming a carbon sink.

The peatlands rehabilitation of Bord na Móna lands and other land is a key pillar of Bord na Móna's brown to green strategy, as we eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels and redirect our efforts to investment in renewable energy, recycling operations and low-carbon business operations. On other lands, we work with the NPWS on rehabilitation. We will create employment for approximately 350 employees in Bord na Móna in the coming years.

As Bord na Móna has been managing the peatlands in Ireland for approximately 90 years, we have a lot of experience of peatland management, initially starting with the drainage infrastructure. We have more than 30 years of experience of peatlands rehabilitation, as referred to by previous contributors. We have a lot of experience in this area. We know this is a major project and we have been engaged in significant consultation with a number of parties in recent months. All of the farming communities have acknowledged that we have been engaging with them. When we talk about rehabilitation, it is important to understand what we mean by the rewetting of peatlands as opposed to the flooding of the peatlands. I will call on my colleague, Ms King, to outline what we mean by the drainage of the peatlands, what part of a bog will be impacted, and how we leave the outer part of the bog, especially the outer drain, open to ensure that we can reduce the risk of flooding on adjoining lands.