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Irish Times

Illegal peat harvesting is still taking place on a large scale, EPA report finds

Illegal commercial extraction of peat on a large scale continues to be widespread in Ireland, with a flourishing export trade worth €40 million a year, an EPA investigation has found. A total of 38 large-scale operations are engaged in illegal peat extraction in a sector that 'does not operate within planning or environmental laws', the report, published on Wednesday, concludes. 'Local authority enforcement performance in this area is patently inadequate,' it finds. The EPA has investigated 38 sites across seven counties – Offaly, Kildare, Laois, Westmeath, Roscommon, Longford and Sligo – where large-scale commercial peat extraction is being carried out without any of the necessary authorisations from local authorities. READ MORE The worst county was Westmeath, with eight illegal sites, followed by Tipperary and Roscommon with six each. [ Ireland worst in world for wetlands depletion over past 3 centuries, global study finds Opens in new window ] These illegal operations are contributing to an export trade of 300,000 tonnes of peat annually, valued at almost €40 million, the report says. The EPA has carried out 170 enforcement inspections between 2021 and 2024, including legal actions at District Court and High Court level against operations on areas greater than 50 hectares. These actions have resulted in cessation of illegal extractions on several peatlands, while a number of actions remain live before the courts. The products being extracted are milled peat used as compost and large sod peat – used in horticulture – as well as 'wet peat extracts' used in mushroom production. Dr Tom Ryan, director of the EPA Office of Environmental Enforcement, said: 'Operators engaged in unauthorised peat harvesting activities are in flagrant violation of environmental law. They are destroying our precious natural environments, and this needs to stop.' 'The environmental damage caused by large-scale peat extraction operating outside regulatory control is catastrophic for the environment,' Dr Ryan said. 'It results in destruction of vital ecosystems for biodiversity, loss of important carbon sinks ... and decimation of an irreplaceable cultural and scientific amenity and resource.' Peat extraction is subject to several legal restrictions in Ireland, and many sites have not received the required permissions. Photograph: EPA Bord na Móna was an excellent example of appropriate engagement with environmental regulations working, he said, including compliance with EPA licensing requirements, minimising of negative environmental impacts of peat harvesting, and securing of the rehabilitation of harvested peatlands. Local authorities have primary responsibility for regulating all commercial peat extraction. The EPA said it will continue to use its powers to ensure local authorities fully implement and enforce environmental requirements. The report notes appropriate regulation of peat harvesting can provide important protections for the environment. Bord na Móna had lawfully operated nine different peatland complexes across 11 counties under EPA licence until 2020, when these operations ceased. In accordance with their licence conditions and with support of the Peatlands Climate Action Scheme, Bord na Móna is engaged in rehabilitation of those peatlands, with almost 19,000 hectares rehabilitated by the end of 2024, 'bringing them back to life, allowing nature to take its course and the peatlands to flourish again', the report states. [ Turf cutters warn of confrontational scenes after EU Commission move Opens in new window ] The EPA has gathered evidence of expensive machinery, complex drainage systems, extensive rows and stacks of cut peat and, in some cases, large warehouses on sites. Large-scale commercial peat extraction can only take place if it is granted planning permission. In some cases, an EPA licence is also required. For peat extraction from on an area greater than 50Ha, extraction needs an EPA integrated pollution control licence as well as planning permission and an environmental impact assessment (EIA). There is a ban on the commercial sale of peat for solid fuel heating and restriction of peat-cutting for other purposes, such as horticulture. Environmental groups have highlighted that very few, if any, plots have the required permits or would be eligible for them because they would fail at the EIA stage. Peat extraction was targeted for phase-out on environmental and public health grounds, as turf-burning causes air pollution and bog-stripping undermines the natural environment.