The European Commission has announced it will refer Ireland to the Court of Justice of the EU for alleged failure to protect bog habitats.
According to the commission, Ireland has failed to apply the Habitats Directive to protect sites designated for raised bog and blanket bog habitats from turf cutting.
The commission said: “These sites continue to be degraded through drainage and turf cutting activities, and insufficient action is being taken to restore the sites”.
The affected areas are categorised as “priority” habitats under the directive, due to “unique qualities”.
“Peat bogs are also vital carbon sinks when healthy, while a UN report estimated that Ireland’s degraded peatlands emit 21.5 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year,” the commission said.
The commission sent a letter of formal notice to Ireland in January 2011, followed by a reasoned opinion in June 2011.
According to the commission, authorities here made some progress on the issue, but “have not fully addressed the shortcomings”.
While some restoration work has been undertaken on raised bog sites, no action has been taken regarding blanket bog sites where Ireland has failed to put in place an effective regulatory regime to protect these bog sites, the commission said.
The commission sent an additional reasoned opinion in September 2022.
The commission said it “considers that efforts by Irish authorities have, to date, been insufficient and is therefore referring Ireland to the Court of Justice of the EU”.
Under the European Green Deal, and the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, EU member states are required to “halt biodiversity loss” by “protecting and restoring” certain habitats.
The commission said that Ireland hosts some of the most unique raised bog sites in the EU, as well as large areas of still active blanket bog.
“Their protection and restoration could assist Ireland in meeting its climate change goals, not only by keeping healthy peat in the ground but also avoiding emissions when peat is burnt as a fuel,” the commission said.