Turf cutting for domestic purposes must be allowed continue for 2011 so more people are not “caught up in a daft decision” where people are prohibited from cutting their own supply of turf.
This is the view of Fine Gael Galway East candidate, councillor Paul Connaughton, who this week announced the Fine Gael plan which will endeavour to save the 32 raised bogs - eight of which are in County Galway.
The bogs were closed last November by the Department of the Environment after it sent a registered letter to each turf cutter informing them that all turf cutting must stop in 2011.
However Cllr Connaughton said it was “premature to close the bogs before a very thorough investigation was carried out under the auspices of an independent chairperson”.
Fine Gael believes the recent European Court of Justice rulings against Ireland involve “a very conservative and restrictive interpretation of the Habitats Directive”.
The party says that in government it will allow a “roll over exemption for domestic turf cutting on the 75 National Heritage Area sites subject to the introduction of an agreed environmentally rational code of practice”.
As a result, the FG plan proposes the establishment of an independent mediation service for all relevant stakeholders with the specific objective of facilitating a resolution to the 55 SAC designated bogs. The independent mediation will be made available to resolve the outstanding issues associated with turf cutting on blanket bogs.
“This investigation would deal with among other matters the development of a management plan for each of the bogs involved and would try to find a way of accommodating as many turf cutters as possible to continue cutting turf,” said Cllr Connaughton.
He added that the new government would have to abide by the principle of the EU Habitat Directive but would “negotiate a fairer interpretation” of the rules.
“My family,” he said, “ together with thousands more are caught up in this daft decision where people are prohibited from cutting their own domestic supply of turf, a practice that has been handed down for generations.”
