Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine to discuss EU Proposal on Nature Restoration with representative of European Commission

Speaking ahead of the meeting at 4.30pm in Committee Room 4 of Leinster House, Committee Cathaoirleach Deputy Jackie Cahill said: “There would be serious concerns about the amount of land that is to be impacted by this proposal. According to the European Commission, this proposal aims to enable the EU to act with urgency and to start restoring ecosystems based on binding targets and obligations that can already be measured and monitored.

“The Commission states that this will ensure that Member States can start restoration work without delay and paves the way for a broad range of ecosystems in the EU to be restored and maintained by 2050, with measurable results by 2030 and 2040.

“The Committee has previously heard concerns raised by Members with elements of the Commission’s proposal. These include the impact on areas of drained peatland and the impact on forestry and in particular on peat soil. There are also concerns regarding definitions used in the proposed regulation.

“Members have also raised concerns with Article 9 of the proposal which deals with the restoration of agricultural ecosystems, and Article 11 which lays out Member States obligations regarding the preparation of national restoration plans.

“The Committee welcomes this opportunity to meet with Mr Delgado Rosa and looks forward to a wide-ranging discussion on Commission’s proposal and the concerns outlined.”

The Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine has 14 Members, nine from the Dáil and five from the Seanad.

The meeting in Committee Room 4 can be viewed live on Oireachtas TV.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.