Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputies for raising the issue. I am taking the debate on behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government who asked me to confirm that he is fully aware of the concerns of Deputies and of traditional turf cutters who have relied on turf for domestic fuel. He also recognises the concern about the costs of alternative fuel. It is important to be clear about the position regarding the bogs in question. I must declare an interest, as I have a bog plot.

This issue concerns a small fraction of the bogs of Ireland and it must be reiterated that turf cutting will continue on the vast majority of bogs. Of the approximately 1,600 raised bogs, only 139 are designated for protection, with 32 of them subject to the ten-year derogation that lapses this year. Ireland's raised bogs are priority habitat under the EU habitats directive. The State has 60% of western Europe's remaining heritage of uncut raised bog. However, less than 1% of the original area of active raised bogs, that is, peatland on which the indigenous flora are still growing and forming peat, remains.

Ireland is required to protect priority habitats of European importance under the Habitats Directive, which was transposed into Irish law by the European Communities (Natural Habitats) Regulations 1997 and the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000. Successive Governments have designated bog habitats for protection, nominating candidate special areas of conservation in 1999 and in 2002 and natural heritage areas in 2004. When arrangements were announced for cessation of turf cutting in SACs in 1999, a ten-year grace period was granted to domestic turf cutters. This was intended to allow them to find alternative sources of fuel. This period is coming to an end on the 32 raised bogs in question. A similar ten-year derogation applies to bogs designated after 1999. For example, when NHAs were designated in 2004, under an agreement with the farming organisations, another ten-year derogation was put in place, allowing cutting in NHAs until 2014. It is important to put this limited cessation of turf cutting into perspective and to acknowledge that turf cutting will continue in large areas of undesignated bog.

With regard to meeting our obligations to protect this habitat, a recent review of the state of our bogs revealed severe and continuing damage. In the ten years since commercial cutting was ended in designated areas, 35% of the remaining area of this priority EU habitat was lost through domestic cutting and we are losing between 2% and 4% of our remaining active raised bog per annum. The overall scientific assessment of the state of this habitat is "unfavourable, bad", which is the worst of three categories. EU member states with such unfavourable status in a habitat are legally obliged to take measures to ensure improvement. The Government's responsibility is to ensure Ireland fulfils its legal obligations and it would not be appropriate to extend the ten-year periods for the ending of cutting in the limited areas involved.

Deputies will be aware that the cessation of domestic cutting is encouraged by the purchase by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government of the traditional turf-cutting rights through a voluntary scheme in designated areas.

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