The Irish Natura and Hill Farmers’ Association (INHFA) has warned against what it called “optimism” that that EU Nature Restoration Law will be defeated in the European Parliament.
Vincent Roddy, the association’s president, was speaking after the parliament’s agriculture committee and its fisheries committee voted against the legislation.
A delegation from the INHFA was in Brussels this week to meet with MEPs to lobby against the proposed regulation.
Roddy said that, despite the recent defeats for the legislation, the parliament may yet accept it with some amendments that might roll back some of the more extreme measures, but which would still leave a law that would require large amounts of restoring and rewetting on peat soils, among other issues.
“It is quite possible that an agreement will be reached this autumn in the trilogue process between the European Commission, parliament and council of ministers, and if this happens we will be looking at its implementation in 2025,” Roddy said.
A trilogue is a part of the EU’s legislative process in which the commission, the parliament, and the Council of the EU (often referred to as the council of ministers) negotiate the final text of a piece of legislation.
The issue of rewetting peatlands is not the only concern in the proposed regulation for the INHFA, however.
“For many farmers, especially those with…hills and designated lands, there is a clear requirement [in the law] on these lands to deliver pristine habitats…while there is also a significant threat to their CAP [Common Agricultural Policy] payments.”
These provisions will, according to Roddy, see “the implementation of an effective designation that will be more draconian than anything we have ever seen”.
“In this scenario we will see the sterilisation of large areas of land with the possibility of this land area being expanded as required,” the INHFA president said.
He added: “While farming activity will be an obvious casualty, its implications will also apply to local communities, and there will be a requirement for state bodies and our local authorities to ensure the law is enacted.
“Similar to the Natura 2000 designations, that provide environmental NGOs [non-governmental organisations] with the opportunity to object to critical infrastructural development needed to protect and develop local communities, the Nature Restoration Law will an objectors haven.
“However, the implications and reach of the Nature Restoration Law will be more extreme as this provides for legally binding targets that could well apply on all peat soils and other, yet to be defined, habitat areas,” Roddy commented.
The farm leader also told Agriland that, under the law, member states will have to give an indication of subsidies which negatively affect the achievement of targets and the fulfillment of the obligations set out in this regulation.
“Taken together, we see a massive requirement [under the law] on farmers and landowners to deliver on the restoration requirements, ensure habitats don’t regress, with a potential threat to CAP payments if the objectives are not delivered,” Roddy said.