TD: Local authority bosses should be 'read riot act' over illegal peat activity
The chief executives of Ireland’s local authorities should be "read the riot act" for failing to clamp down on illegal commercial peat extractors according to one TD.
Social Democrats TD, Jennifer Whitmore, has also urged the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Darragh O'Brien, to "haul" these chief executives into a meeting to address the findings of a new report published today (Thursday, June 26) on ‘Large-Scale illegal Peat Extraction in Ireland’.
The report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) outlined how the agency investigated 38 sites across seven counties – Offaly, Kildare, Tipperary, Westmeath, Roscommon, Longford and Sligo –and found large-scale commercial peat extraction being carried on without any of the necessary authorisations from the local authorities.
According to the EPA these illegal operations are contributing to an export trade of 300,000t of peat annually, valued at almost €40 million, according to the report.
Deputy Whitmore, who is the Social Democrats' spokesperson on climate and environment, was indignant about what she described as "blatant illegal activity" could happen under the noses of local authorities.
She said that local authorities have the "powers to act" on large-scale peat extraction businesses and individuals who are not operating within planning or environmental laws - but have failed to do so.
Deputy Whitmore said: “According to the EPA, this activity is causing catastrophic damage to local environments; decimating vital ecosystems for biodiversity, culture, and research; and ruining the country’s natural carbon sinks, which absorb greenhouse gasses – crucial for our climate action ambitions.
“Many of these operators have attempted to circumvent EPA enforcement by reducing their footprint below 50 hectares, which brings them within the remit of their local authority. However, the EPA has described enforcement levels by councils as patently inadequate.
“We are not talking about traditional bog owners here – this is a large-scale illegal industry operating in plain sight".
The Wicklow TD said that there cannot be situation where people are "profiteering from the destruction of the environment".
"If we are to successfully deal with our biodiversity crisis and take effective climate action, our peatlands will have to be at the heart of it. “The EPA report is a wake-up call for the government," Deputy Whitmore added.
