The Taoiseach has told the Dáil that he believes there are aspects of the proposed Nature Restoration Law that “go too far” particularly in relation to taking agricultural land out of use for food production.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar today (Tuesday, May 30) said the Nature Restoration Law was still a proposal but acknowledged that there were “some very far-reaching proposals” that would have an impact not just on rural communities in Ireland but also in urban areas.
However he also said that everyone appreciated the need to “protect nature, to restore biodiversity loss and and allow nature to grow”.
A debate is scheduled to take place tomorrow (Wednesday, May 31) in the Dáil on the “Nature Restoration Law and Irish agriculture”.
The Taoiseach said TDs should “engage with the debate tomorrow in a productive way and suggest how the proposals can be improved, and what compromises can be made, to make sure the proposed law is fit for purpose”.
He added: “We do not yet have an agreed text. It is thought that could be ready for the Council of Ministers’ meeting at Luxembourg on June 20.
“At that point, there will be trilogue with the European Parliament in July leading to potential ratification by the end of the year, giving us two years to prepare a national restoration plan.”
But the Taoiseach also acknowledged that Ireland would “need an impact assessment” on the proposed law and how it would “impact on us economically and socially”.
“At European Parliament level, there will be negative votes from both the agriculture and fisheries committees, which are significant,” he added.
The Fianna Fáil TD for Cork North-West, Aindrias Moynihan, also told the Dáil today that many farmers currently “fear their lands might be flooded and not available for food production”.
Deputy Moynihan said that the recent demand for environmental schemes from farmers clearly demonstrated “the willingness of farmers not just to be part of but very much central to climate actions”.
“The proposed nature restoration laws ask farmers to give up an awful lot and go into an unknown were their farms could be flooded,” he warned.