Rewetting law: Ireland could hit 2030 target by 'exclusive focus' on peat extraction sites

It comes as the Department of Housing also confirmed that Ireland has not yet submitted its official response to the proposal

Claire Mc Cormack Twitter Email

January 27 2023 11:48 AM

Ireland could achieve its proposed 2030 EU land rewetting target “by focusing exclusively” on former peat extraction sites as opposed to peatlands previously drained for agricultural use, a top European Commission environmental official has stated.

However, in a meeting with the Joint Oireachtas Agriculture Committee, Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice warned Humberto Delgado Rosa, Director for Biodiversity at DG Environment, that if Ireland opts for this route a larger area of agricultural peatland could face legal rewetting between 2030-2050.

The EU official confirmed that no impact assessment has been carried out on how the proposed EU Nature Restoration Law – which says member states must introduce restoration measures on 30pc of drained agricultural peatlands by 2030 with a quarter rewetted, 50pc by 2040 with half rewetted, and 70pc by 2050 with half rewetted – may impact on Ireland’s family farms and rural economy.

It comes as the Department of Housing also confirmed that Ireland has not yet submitted its official response to the proposal, as officials says they “continue to engage with other member states, relevant departments, and stakeholders to explore the full implications of the proposed regulation”.

Addressing committee members Mr Delgado Rosa said: “For Ireland, wetlands in general, but peatlands in particular, have a crucial role on climate change mitigation in the sense that they are the richest eco systems in terms of carbon sinks.

“So, from a mere climate policy perspective, irrespective of the Nature Restoration Law, it makes a lot of sense to consider rewetting peatland for the sake of climate.

“Rewetting means raising the water table to a level where there is a benefit for the environment. There are some more extensive usages of grassland that can remain [in production] even when you rewet – if you fully rewet, of course, the change is more fundamental.

“What we propose for agricultural eco systems does entail some changes to practices, but these changes are fully compatible with maintaining farming and even benefitting productivity from the angle of what nature can give back – pollinators, soil nutrients, water etc.

He said there are “a lot of flexibility clauses” in how member states can reach the proposed aims, adding that Ireland could meet its 2030 target “completely from non-agricultural land”.

“One is allowing restoration or rewetting on peat extraction sites, which exist abundantly in Ireland, and restoration measures on other drained peatlands for example, where forests have been planted on drained peatlands.”

Asked by Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice how the proposal will impact private property rights in affected areas Mr Delgado Rosa replied:

“The [legal] bindingness of this proposal is upon the member states, it’s not upon the private landowners, farmers or any others, it’s up to member states how they will approach it . . . they will have to follow the targets, but the way in which they follow them does not impose on private ownership that must be tackled in Nature Restoration plans.”

The Roscommon-Galway TD hit back stating “you say it will do nothing to encroach on private people – can I tell you that the Habitats Directive has encroached on every piece of private property around Ireland, so let’s not be living in a fantasy world where this won’t be encroaching on private property.”