TURF CUTTERS have struck a deal which could prevent Ireland facing a backdated fine of €26,000 plus interest per day, spanning back almost two decades, for cutting turf on protected bogs.
Under the terms agreed during an emergency meeting of the Peatlands Council yesterday, turf cutters on 31 protected bogs around the State will cease cutting turf from 2pm today.
Those using the bogs will be permitted to remove turf already cut this year without fear of prosecution.
Speaking prior to the Peatlands Council meeting in Ballinasloe, Co Galway, chairman of the Peatlands Council, Conor Skehan said failure to reach agreement would see Ireland face “fines of €26,000 per day with interest backdated to 1992, plus fines in the millions for each offence thereafter . . . It is a multimillion euro figure.”
The Peatlands Council was established by Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan and Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan in April. Its purpose is to consult with the IFA, Irish Rural Link, Turf Cutters and Contractors Association, Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Irish Environment Network, Bord na Móna and the National Parks and Wildlife Service over the cessation of turf cutting in Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs).
The emergency council meeting was called in order to reach agreement among turf cutters on 31 raised bogs in SAC- and NHA-designated areas in Galway, Roscommon, Westmeath, Cavan, Kildare, Meath, Offaly, Tipperary, Mayo, Sligo and Kerry. A further 24 bogs will be dealt with from the end of 2011. In total 6,500 turf cutters and an estimated 18,000 turf users will be affected by the cessation of cutting on 55 bogs.
Mr Deenihan had recently signalled potential legal action should turf cutters continue to flout the law on 31 protected bogs.
Members of the council issued an agreed statement following the meeting, saying: “We are committed to fully and finally resolving the legal and land use issues to ensure full compliance with the objectives of the Habitats Directive in relation to raised bogs.
“In view of the sensitivities involved, the widespread confusion surrounding the issue to date and the potential to achieve an agreed solution under the auspices of the Peatlands Council, the council advises the Minister that as all cutting will cease from 2pm on June 2nd but that no further environmental harm will occur by removing already cut turf and that this should be permitted as no further turf cutting can occur.”
Under the terms of the agreement, alternative turf cutting sites and compensation will be considered and a strategy for the management and restoration of designated raised bogs will be put in place. Arrangements will be made to provide fuel during the transitional stage for users of affected bogs.