Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 September 2013
743. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will supply an up to date list of all bogs on which turf cutting has ceased or will cease up the the end of 2016. [37691/13]
View answerAn up to date list of all sites nominated for designation or designated is available on my Department’s website at www.npws.ie . Turf cutting has been ended on 53 Raised Bog Special Areas of Conservation, in keeping with Ireland’s obligations under the Habitats Directive. Any further turf-cutting on these sites can only occur in the exceptional circumstances allowed for under the terms of the Habitats Directive. The National Raised Bog Management Plan, currently in preparation, will set out the future management and restoration approach for each of these sites, including how the interests of turf-cutters are to be addressed.
Some 75 raised bog Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs) were formally designated by my predecessor under the Wildlife Acts. NHAs are protected through a requirement for certain, potentially damaging activities to receive Ministerial consent before being undertaken. Turf-cutting is listed as an activity that requires such consent. However, turf-cutting on NHAs was subject to a derogation which allowed continued cutting for domestic purposes until the end of 2013.
In May 2010, the previous Government decided that turf cutting should come to an end on all raised bog NHAs at the end of 2013. However, the current Programme for Government undertook to review the situation. This review is currently underway and the future of turf-cutting on raised bog NHAs is being considered as part of that review. It is my intention that the review will provide clarity for turf-cutters and land-owners on these NHAs, in advance of the 2014 turf cutting season and my Department will be contacting individual land-owners and turf-cutters on these sites in due course.
