There is total confusion on the implementation of the new rules governing turf cutting on SAC bogs and there is wholesale opposition from bog owners to the Department directive which provides that each bog owner must seek a permit to cut his or her domestic supply of turf. Many bog owners see this as a gross violation of their property rights and feel that their constitutional entitlements are being trampled upon.
A number of technical questions were asked by the SAC Alliance, which is a group that co-ordinates the activities of all the bogs of Ireland. That group feels it is getting very poor information, if any, from the Department of Agriculture and Food, which is leading to all sorts of misunderstandings. I accept that there have been major changes in the sense that bog owners will be allowed to cut for ten more years on their own property in certain conditions. However, many of their questions have not been answered by the Department, such as the matter of compensation to be paid to bog owners who traditionally sold turf to supplement their income. I know a number of people whose income would come primarily from the sale of turf just as others depend on crops of barley or wheat. With the restrictions placed on SAC areas only their domestic supplies of turf can be cut.
I have asked Department officials to let me know the exact details of compensation. Would audited accounts of the amounts lost be necessary? How many years could these people expect to be compensated for? It is not enough to compensate them for this year and next, as many of them would have continued to cut turf all their lives. This matter has not been answered to anyone's satisfaction.
In the case of farmers owning bog plots within a SAC area and who are also in the REP scheme, are they allowed to cut turf even with a permit? If, according to the regulations, they inadvertently cut turf and were then barred from receipt of their REPS payments, it would be a huge penalty for a small matter.
The permit issue is another problem. The gobbledygook of the Department refers to permits but the wildlife rangers give the impression – and I have no reason not to believe them – that all bog owners need do is write a note to them to the effect that they are cutting their own supply of turf. They feel that will suffice but I get a different story when I ring the Department. The Minister should clarify this matter as it is creating huge problems. It is quite foreign to owners of bog plots to have to seek a permit.
I understand that public notices were placed in the newspapers outlining various schemes and the SAC Alliance claims it requested the Minister to withdraw those notices to give time for further consultation. What is the Department's reaction to that?