Laois TD warns of creeping criminalisation of turf cutting

A Laois TD has claimed the ‘creeping criminalisation’ of turf cutting is becoming a reality.

Independent TD Carol Nolan said there is a “sense of disbelief and anger within rural communities” following confirmation that the sale and marketing of turf is to be prohibited.

She was speaking after the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications. Eamon Ryan, confirmed that a regulatory provision will be made to prohibit the marketing, sale or distribution of sod peat from this coming September.

“Last April I explicitly warned that Government was engaged in a process of creeping criminalisation with respect to turf cutting and how rural communities in particular choose to utilise this natural resource. We now see that that creeping criminalisation has moved up to full gallop,” Deputy Nolan said.

“Minister Ryan at the very least has accepted that those with turbary rights will be able to continue to cut and burn sod peat for their own domestic purposes.  The difficulty here however is that people have absolutely zero faith that this position will be maintained into the future. There is a fundamental lack of trust in anything Minister Ryan has to say when it comes to protecting traditional turf cutting practices.”

“Are we really at the stage where a rural family with a sign outside their property advertising the sale of a few bags of turf are to be treated as eco-criminals? This is grossly disproportionate and unjust, and it needs to be resisted immediately from every rural and indeed every urban TD within the Government,” said Deputy Nolan.