Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Mulherin for raising this issue. Ireland, like all EU member states, is bound by the requirements of the habitats directive and the birds directive.These directives aim to ensure the protection of habitats and species which have been selected for conservation within special areas of conservation and special protection areas.

The State has made significant efforts to resolve the issue of the protection of Ireland’s raised bog special areas of conservation within the framework of the habitats directive. This has included intense and ongoing engagement with turf-cutting interests, the farming community, non-governmental organisations and the European Commission, as well as the establishment of a long-term compensation scheme, including relocation, where feasible, to compensate cutters for their loss arising from the cessation.

Over 14,000 annual payments and over 900 deliveries of turf have been made in respect of applications received under the cessation of turf cutting compensation scheme for raised bog special areas of conservation and natural heritage areas. In addition, over 1,800 once-off incentive payments of €500 have been made under the scheme.

Relocation of turf cutters to non-designated bogs is a complex process. Notwithstanding this, progress in relocation has been achieved in a number of cases. In addition, my Department is moving forward in the relocation process for a number of relocation sites. The National Raised Bog Special Areas of Conservation Management Plan 2017-2022, published in December 2017, sets out how the raised bog special areas of conservation are to be managed, conserved and restored, and how the needs of turf cutters are to be addressed, including exploring the options in terms of certain provisions of Article 6 of the habitats directive.

As stated in this plan, in order to compensate for permanent losses of active raised bog from the special area of conservation network, it is proposed to designate two new special areas of conservation. These sites are more than 50% owned by a State body.

The Review of Raised Bog Natural Heritage Area Network, published in January 2014, concluded that Ireland could more effectively achieve conservation of threatened raised bog habitat through focused protection and restoration of a reconfigured network. This will entail: the retention of 36 existing natural heritage areas including seven sites to be divided; the designation of 46 natural heritage areas, including the relevant areas of the seven sites to be divided; and the designation as natural heritage areas of 25 currently undesignated raised bogs that are in public ownership or in respect of which there is reduced turf-cutting pressure, so as to compensate for the loss of habitat within the sites where it is provided that turf cutting may continue.

Arising from this review, the Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2016 has been presented to Dáil Éireann and is currently proceeding through the necessary Stages in the Houses of the Oireachtas. Its purpose is to provide for the implementation of a reconfiguration of the natural heritage area network arising from the 2014 review.

I do not propose to identify the 25 sites until I am in a position to apply the relevant legal protections to them. Compensation will be available to affected turf cutters from these sites. A total of 50 sites have been selected as blanket bog special areas of conservation. A further 73 sites have been designated as natural heritage areas for blanket bog protection. The national peatlands strategy states that, under the habitats directive, Ireland is obliged to devise and implement a system of management that will ensure that turf cutting on blanket bog special areas of conservation continues in such a way that will not threaten the integrity of these sites. Any system of management for blanket bog sites must be drawn up in consultation with local communities to ensure that these important peatlands are managed in a sustainable way for the benefit of the community and in compliance with EU law.

Consideration is being given within my Department to how best a system of management for domestic turf cutting on blanket bog sites might be introduced. I want to ensure that appropriate consultation takes place with local communities, following which the necessary scientific work can be carried out to underpin sustainable management of these sites in the future.