Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I place on record the disgust, annoyance and downright opposition of thousands of turf cutters to the impending decision to prevent them from cutting their turf on their bogs for domestic purposes. In recent months, large numbers of people - up to 400 people - have attended meetings all over the west to protest in the strongest possible manner about the cessation of turf cutting on the 32 raised bogs under the EU habitats directive. Thousands of signatures have been collected, acres of space have been given to this problem by local media and local radio extensively covers the many and varied objections rural people have to this atrocious attack on their personal lives.

This is not an ordinary protest where people slowly retreat into the background when they have made their point. Turf cutters are prepared to make concessions and have no major problems in having the various bogs taken over under the EU directive, provided their plots of turbary are left for turf cutting for domestic purposes. Surely in bogs such as my own at Carnagopple, Mountbellew, County Galway, which extends to almost 1,100 acres, of which no more than 60 acres are used for domestic turf cutting, it is possible to come to an agreement to acquire the 98% of the bog that is unused without interfering with the turf cutting area.

I ask the Minister to revisit the primary European legislation, the habitats directive, with a view to having its transposition into Irish law scrutinised in an effort which would allow the Government to meet its commitments under the directive, while providing flexibility to allow existing turf cutters to cut domestic supplies of turf. I strongly suggest that great thought and negotiation skills be employed to deal with this problem as otherwise what I and all other turf cutters believe is an unjustified attack on the history and customs of rural Ireland will provoke great contention, anger and opposition.

On a commercial basis alone, given the dreadful mess our economy is in, one must ask the reason the European Union or a national government would want to prevent people from supplying their own domestic fuel supplies at a time when the price of imported oil is steadily rising to a record level. The Exchequer does not have a red cent to pay for anything, without resorting to the use of taxpayers' money to pay turf cutters for bog they do not want to sell. I call on the Minister to take this issue seriously because if flexibility and goodwill are not shown to turf cutters, there will be great opposition to the confiscation of the bogs next spring.

John Moloney (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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I am pleased to take this Adjournment on behalf of my colleague the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.

Ireland's raised bogs are important and unique habitats hosting ecosystems that are extremely rare. In recent history, almost all of western Europe's peatlands have disappeared or been severely damaged. While Ireland has around 60% of the remaining uncut areas, less than 1% remains of Ireland's active raised bog, that is, raised bog on which indigenous flora are still growing and peat is forming.

Ireland is required to protect habitats of European importance under the habitats directive of 1992. Active raised bog is a priority habitat under the directive. It is also protected under our own legislation, the European Communities (Natural Habitats) Regulations 1997 in respect of special areas of conservation and the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 in respect of natural heritage areas. Turf cutting is scheduled to end at the end of the current season on 32 raised bog special areas of conservation. Outside these 32 bogs, cutting may continue as normal. This means it may continue in the vast majority of areas. In particular, blanket bogs which comprise most of the areas of peatland are not affected by the arrangements. Of the 1,500 to 1,600 raised bogs in the State, only 130 bog complexes are designated and turf cutting is to cease in 2009 on only 32 of these bogs. This approach is in accordance with the ending of a ten year period of grace given by the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands in 1999. The grace period was designed to allow turf cutting for domestic purposes to continue on these special areas of conservation for up to 10 years while domestic turf cutters found an alternative source of fuel. A similar ten year derogation still applies to bogs designated after 1999.

When natural heritage areas were designated in 2004, under an agreement with the farming organisations another ten year derogation was put in place allowing cutting for domestic purposes in these areas until 2014. However, since then, a review of the state of our bogs - an examination on the ground - has revealed severe and continuing damage by domestic turf cutters. In the ten years since commercial cutting was ended in designated areas, some 35% of the remaining area of active raised bog has been lost through domestic cutting and its associated drainage. We are losing a further 2% to 4% of our remaining active raised bog per annum.

The overall scientific assessment of this habitat is "unfavourable, bad", which is the worst of three categories. European Union member states which report such unfavourable habitat status must take measures to ensure improvement. In light of the scientific evidence, it is clear that continued turf cutting on these sites is not compatible with their preservation.

Since 1999, the Government has actively encouraged the cessation of domestic cutting by buying traditional turf cutting rights through a voluntary scheme of compensation. This covers SACs and NHAs.

Earlier this year an interdepartmental working group on the cessation of turf cutting in designated areas began examining all the implications of cessation, including the question of replacement fuel sources. It invited and received submissions from interested groups and individuals. In the past few weeks it met representative groups concerned with turf cutting and with groups concerned with protection of the bogs. It is due to report, with recommendations, later this year.

The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, appreciates that this is an issue of concern to a number of Deputies, particularly in regard to the impact any cessation might have on those who rely on their bog plots on designated sites as a source of fuel. This is a central consideration of the interdepartmental group and will be fully considered in its advice on how the Government should meet its obligations regarding protecting at least a portion of what remains of this irreplaceable part of Ireland's and Europe's natural heritage.