P r e s s R e l e a s e

Disbelief from conservationists on the lifting of turf-cutting ban

For Release March 5, 1998

The Irish Peatland Conservation Council read Minister Síle de Valera's announcement to lift the ban on turf cutting on Special Areas of Conservation (SAC's) in Ireland with disbelief.

To allow the continuation of turf cutting for yet another year on those raised bogs that are designated as SAC's is a shirking of her responsibility to implement the EU Habitats Directive in Ireland.

Twelve months ago the Minister's Department issued a list of SAC's in Ireland. This included 8,500 ha of raised bogs in 33 sites at the very heart of the heritage of the Irish Midlands. These bogs represent just 3% of the area of raised bog in the country.

IPCC fail to understand why the Department of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands has been unable to reach an agreement with the various interest groups over the last twelve months on the compensation scheme for turf cutters.

The negotiations have been handled badly. Not enough information is being provided by the Department at public meetings to explain to those involved why these sites are important, and how the protection of raised bogs can benefit local communities.

The uncut raised bogs remaining in Ireland represent 51% of the world's resource of this habitat. The IPCC is concerned that the lifting of the ban on turf cutting will give commercial developers a free hand to seriously damage our heritage.

The IPCC are taking this matter to the European Commission seeking their intervention in this apparent breach of the Habitats Directive.

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