A candidate at the upcoming European Parliament elections has said that neither of the two senior parties in the government coalition “can be left off the hook” on the Nature Restoration Law (NRL).
Eddie Punch was reacting to the development last week in which the leader of the Green Party, Minister for Environment, Climate and Communication Eamon Ryan, wrote to his counterparts in other EU member states calling on them to adopt the law when they next meet on June 17.
Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage Malcolm Noonan – a party colleague of Minister Ryan – was also involved in this communication to EU environment ministers.
Although it is Green Party ministers that are directly responsible for making this push to get the controversial law passed, Punch said that the broader government coalition shares in that responsibility.
“Collective responsibility is a key tenet of government. And while the most prominent Irish government noises advocating for the adoption of the Nature Restoration Law at next month’s [Council of the EU] meeting are from the Green Party, neither Fine Gael nor Fianna Fáil can be let off the hook when it comes to this,” Punch said.
The former general secretary of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ (ICSA) claimed that the government parties are “showing complete contempt” for the concerns of Irish farmers by trying to push the law over the line.
The Nature Restoration Law sets targets to restore 30% of drained peatlands under agricultural use by 2030, 40% by 2040 and 50% by 2050. Drained peatland under agricultural use is just one of the land types on which “restoration measures” will be required.
The NRL has been in limbo for over a month after a last minute change in position by a number of member states, which meant that the Council of the EU would not have the required majority to pass the law.
Punch claimed that emissions estimates for peatlands, which partially formed the basis of the law, was “inaccurate to the tune of 280%” for Irish peatlands.
He also claimed that the habitat restoration targets outlined in the law “will take control away from our next generation of farmers”.
“By issuing a latter to fellow member states seeking the adoption of the Nature Restoration Law, Ireland’s three government parties…are doing this country a huge disservice,” Punch commented.