Minster Deenihan orders destruction of the last of our bogs

Capercaille

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/contentious-turfcutting-ban-to-be-lifted-for-most-bogs-29917039.html

Judgement Day

I doubt that he can even spell heritage or habitat.

Birdnuts

In fairness cutting is still prohibited on SAC bogs. Reading elsewhere it appears that new NHA bogs will be created to replace areas delisted. However these will be mainly on public land owned by Bord na Mona etc. which will be easier to restore compared to private bogs with multiple owners.

michael999999

With all the protestors picketing his office in listowel, it made it hard for him to get into the arms hotel for he's lunch. So it was easier to just give in to them!

Capercaille

Birdnuts wrote: »

In fairness cutting is still prohibited on SAC bogs. Reading elsewhere it appears that new NHA bogs will be created to replace areas delisted. However these will be mainly on public land owned by Bord na Mona etc. which will be easier to restore compared to private bogs with multiple owners.

http://www.ahg.gov.ie/en/Publications/HeritagePublications/NatureConservationPublications/Final%20draft%202014-01-15%20National%20Raised%20Bog%20SAC%20Management%20Plan%20wo%20appendices_v2.pdf

Turf cutting will even be permitted on certain SAC's

87
|
P a g e
Continued Cutting due to lack of relocation possibilities
The Habitats Directive makes provision for damaging activity to be undertaken on SACs in
exceptional circumstanc
es where certain tests provided for in Article 6(4) of the Directive can be met.
In short these include the following:
1.
That no alternative exists than to undertake the proposed action
2.
That Imperative Reasons of Overriding Public Interest (IROPI) exist that
would justify the
damage to the SAC
3.
That Compensatory measures can be taken to ensure the integrity of the SAC network

Birdnuts

Capercaille wrote: »

www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.npws.ie%2Fmedia%2Fnpws%2F2014-01-15%2520National%2520Raised%2520Bog%2520SAC%2520Management%2520Plan%2520wo%2520appendices_v2.pdf&h=nAQFB1a-4AQFDll3rNAm8aRhVni4igBl4BoPI4BA1OushHg&enc=AZPEiUvYDd1SUyQwLgpDDFXpuwaSmGQHZxoaQ0J3qK7UZfnPBCR1ckb18B-fXUtP6fVPMzdvDtczGY1SpW13MYvj&s=1
Turf cutting will even be permitted on certain SAC's

I believe that provision(the exceptional circumstances clause) is not unique to Ireland and is part of the EU habitats Directive. Its the same provision under which Shell in North Mayo was allowed to route a gas pipeline across a coastal SAC. I guess its a case of ensuring national governments don't abuse such clauses which is why such provisions can be appealed to various EU courts

OpenYourEyes

An Taisce's statement on the whole thing.


And a Journal.ie article based on An Taisce's statement

Half-cocked

Probably end up in the European Court and then the Minister can wring his hands and claim its not his fault, its big bad Europe again. Usual cop-out strategy when a tough decision has to be made.

robp

Extremely disappointing. I expected better from him.

Woodville56

robp wrote: »

Extremely disappointing. I expected better from him.

Apologies if I'm going a bit "off topic" here but seems to me that environmental issues and indeed environmental protection is way down this Government's priority list , in fact in some instances it's thrust is quite " to hell with the environment". What with Kenny & Rabbitte wanting to site pylons and wind farms all over the place , Deenihan wavering on the protected bogs issue and his general ambivalence around SPA/SAC development , the failure of Coveney to deliver anything on the environmental dividend from the CAP funding negotiations, albeit an EU level decision etc etc.
Political expediency , electoral expectations and the muscle of the extensive farming lobby once again dictating policy, but then sure it's always been that way !

Capercaille

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/guarded-welcome-for-scaling-back-of-turfcutting-ban-29921317.html

Under the plan, “continued turf-cutting proposals [are] to be considered where relocation solutions prove elusive”, in line with the Government’s approach to “meeting national conservation targets while addressing the needs of affected communities”.

Even The SAC's are not safe. The militant turfcutters like the ones at Barroughter and Clonmoylan SAC's will no doubt be given free reigh to do whatever they want. I hope I'm wrong.

kylith

"But he and government colleagues will hope that the move will calm public disquiet in rural areas ahead of local and European Parliament elections in May."

Says it all for me really.

Personally I think that if people want to claim they have a tradition of turf cutting let them at it with the traditional tools only. See how gung-ho they are about it when they've to do it with a loy.

OpenYourEyes

For anyone with Facebook, the Irish Peatlands page post news stories, scientific articles etc. relating to bogs/peatlands as they find them. I'd recommend it for keeping up to date with the turfcutting issue.

They're currently going through the documents published by the government earlier this week and posting about notable pieces/sections from them as they do.