A review of government communications needs to take place in light of the “fiasco” around the proposed EU Nature Restoration Law, Fianna Fáil TD Barry Cowen has said.
The former minister for agriculture said that he wants the government to launch a communications campaign to outline the facts around the controversial law.
“At this week’s Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting, it was confirmed to me that all the scares that had been put around on the Nature Restoration Law were bogus,” the Laois-Offaly TD, said.
Nature restoration
Tánaiste and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin and Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue told the meeting that there would be no compulsion on farmers to participate in schemes arising from the legislation.
They also told their party colleagues that there is sufficient State land to meet Irish targets on rewetting and compensation would be paid for adjoining lands damaged by rewetting.
“It is unfortunate that the government allowed the untruths to take hold. The communications around this law has been far from satisfactory and requires review.
“The eye was seen to have been off the ball on this key issue for Ireland and while progress was made in recent at EU level by Council of Ministers, all this was lost in the spurious claims being made by negative forces,” Cowen said.
The TD is writing to the government ministers involved calling on them to “communicate clearly on the matter”.
“I will be asking the minister for agriculture and the Tánaiste to undertake a communications campaign to make clear the facts confirmed to me this week and to unwind the false narratives they have allowed to take hold.”
“The government needs to get the narrative on this important law back on track and out of the hands of doomsayers for Irish farming,” he said.
Cowen also said that he would ask Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan to gift sites on Bord na Mona, Coillte and other State lands for “community renewable projects”.