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

The recently published Review of Ireland’s Raised Bog Natural Heritage Areas, which is available to download from my Department’s website, provides detail on future arrangements regarding turf cutting on each of the 75 raised bog NHAs. Based on a comprehensive scientific assessment, the review has proposed a reconfiguration of the network of raised bog NHAs, which will improve conservation outcomes by increasing the area of endangered habitats within the network of sites. At the same time, it will exclude the most heavily cut sites, thereby avoiding any impact on over 80% of active turfcutters currently in the NHA network; from over 3,000 to around 500 cutters.

The review envisages the complete or partial de-designation of 46 existing NHAs where turf-cutting may continue into the future. In these de-designation cases, it will not be necessary for individuals to seek consent to cut turf. The review also envisages effective cessation of turf cutting on 36 NHAs by 1 January 2017, in order to preserve their conservation value. Management plans, which will be subject to environmental assessment, will be prepared for each site. Turf-cutters on these sites will require consent from my Department before cutting this year. The review further envisages the proposed designation of 25 new sites as raised bogs NHAs later this year to replace the habitat lost through de-designation of the more heavily cut sites. Many of these proposed sites are in public ownership, or have relatively few or no turf cutters.

It has been possible to subdivide seven current NHAs in such as way as to allow for a continuation of turf-cutting in one part and conservation elsewhere on the site. This has resulted in a total of 82 separate units within the original 75 NHAs.

My Department has written directly to more than 3,600 landowners who may have an interest in the NHAs where consent will be required from this year. Site maps were enclosed with those letters, as well as advice on how to obtain an application form for the compensation scheme or consent to continue cutting. Last week, notices explaining future turf cutting arrangements on these sites were placed in local newspapers, which circulate in the areas where the relevant NHA bogs are located. Any turf-cutter required to cease turf-cutting on an NHA is being offered compensatory measures similar to those available to turf-cutters from raised bog special areas of conservation. Such compensation will be available to qualifying persons with effect from 2014. Application forms for the compensation scheme or for permits to continue cutting over the next three years are available on request from my Department. Relevant contact details are published on my Department's websites.

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