IWT claims turf cut illegally at Laois bog

The Irish Wildlife Trust has claimed illegal turf cutting has taken place on a Laois bog in 2021 and 2022.  

IWT is calling for greater law enforcement after new data, released after an appeal to the Office of the Information Commissioner, revealed  illegal turf-cutting remains a significant problem in Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) designated for raised bogs.

The records from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage show that 330 turf plots were cut in 2022, an increase from 290 in 2021. 

In Laois, the IWT says 26 plots were cut on a bog at Coolrain in 2021 and a further 26 plots were cut on the bog in 2022. 

“Despite a ban on turf-cutting in SACs coming into force in 2011, last year saw this continued destruction in 15 such areas. Mining of peat accelerated in some bogs compared to 2021 such as Barroughter in Galway, Corliskea/Trien/Cloonfelliv Bog in Galway/Roscommon and Mouds Bog in Kildare,” IWT stated in a press release. 

The issue of illegal turf-cutting was highlighted by the IWT in 2020 and 2021. In 2022 the European Commission announced that it was renewing an infringement action against Ireland for failure to protect peatland SACs, however the IWT says the Commission itself has been slow to act in this area. Meanwhile IWT says irreparable damage continues to occur on the last of our ‘protected’ raised bogs.

“The IWT is calling on Minister of State Malcolm Noonan, to stop being an onlooker in this destruction and to enforce the law. If people were walking out of the National Museum with priceless exhibits we’d expect them to be stopped, yet there is a general sense of impunity when it comes to destruction of our natural heritage because the State is refusing to intervene,” the IWT stated. 

'A man at one with nature' tourist's praise for Laois bog volunteer

“Raised bogs are globally unique habitats that are endangered with extinction. When fully functioning they are powerhouses of carbon storage and sequestration, water purification and regulation and are habitats to specially adapted species. However, our bogs are in dire condition and while some important restoration work is underway, not far from these sites the exact opposite is happening under the watchful eye of the State,” claimed the IWT. 

“Nearly four years since the Dáil declared a climate and biodiversity emergency, it is time we saw some action before these bogs cease to be of conservation value,” the IWT said in a press release.