Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Government does not believe that turf cutting should come to an end on all bogs and is not following a strategy that would result in this outcome. Peatlands make up more than 20% of the State’s terrestrial area. They are of considerable economic, social and environmental value and therefore must be managed with care. Within weeks of coming into office, the Government decided to draw up a national strategy on peatlands conservation and management to deal with long-term issues such as land management, restoration, conservation, tourism potential, carbon, accounting and community participation in managing this resource.

This national peatlands strategy is currently being prepared with oversight by the Peatlands Council and with input from relevant Departments, agencies and semi-State companies. It is intended that a draft of the strategy will be published this year and comments of the public will be sought on its contents. The strategy will be broad-ranging. Among many other issues, it will address the regulation of turf extraction within and outside protected areas and should dispel unfounded fears that the Government wishes to end traditional turf cutting in Ireland, while also making clear that Ireland’s peatlands must be managed in a balanced way. This balance involves conservation in certain areas, protecting traditional rights - and the owners of those rights - and having in place the appropriate systems that can respond to new challenges as they arise, whether they come from changing agricultural practices, pressure from development, water quality issues and so on.

In addition to the overarching national peatlands strategy, work is also progressing on the preparation of a national raised bog special area of conservation, SAC, management plan to consider the management of Ireland's 53 raised bog special areas of conservation and the review of raised bog natural heritage areas, NHAs. I intend to publish these documents in draft form in conjunction with the national strategy.

These initiatives will provide an appropriate policy response to managing all of Ireland's peatlands for the future. They are being developed in a collaborative fashion with the assistance of the Peatlands Council and will be subject to further broad public consultation once drafts are published before the end of the year. I urge all those with an interest in the management of the peatlands to avail of the opportunities to participate in shaping that future.

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