Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue has reiterated that state-owned lands will “shoulder the majority of the weight” of the proposed EU Nature Restoration Law.

In a Dáil debate today (Wednesday, May 31), the minister said that, based on commentary “both inside and outside” the Dáil, there has been an “attempt” in recent weeks to create “fear and concern” among farmers.

The Irish government will lead delivery of nature restoration actions on state-owned lands, the minister said, and this will be complemented by support for “voluntary measures” by farmers outside these areas.

Stating that rewetting is one of “many tools” to meet the restoration commitments, Minister McConalogue said that farmers who want to take voluntary measures will be “strongly supported financially”.

TDs present at today’s debate were told by the minister that Ireland has already set peatland restoration targets in the Climate Action Plan 2023, with targets beyond the minimums outlined in the council’s version of the law.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue

The Climate Action Plan committed to the rehabilitation of 77,000ha of Bord na Móna lands by 2030. This, the minister said, combined with already existing initiatives such as LIFE programmes, will achieve EU 2030 targets “without the need for any new incentives”.

Nature Restoration Law

Following the adoption of the Nature Restoration Law, member states must develop national restoration plans within two years. The minister said that the development process of this plan “must and will be with farmers and fishers at the centre of the discussion”.

The option to use the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to fund measures under the Nature Restoration Law is “off the table”, the minister, who said that there will be challenges regarding funding, confirmed as CAP funds are already allocated.

“It is essential that there is adequate funding in place to support farmers in these objectives. It will be crucial that our national plan fully considers all financial instruments available, including the opportunity to leverage private financial investment,” he said.

The minister told the Dáil that it is “unfortunate” that the current narrative regarding the Nature Restoration Law is “largely negative”.

However, stressing that the negotiation process is ongoing and the final text and associated impacts are “not yet fully visible”, Minister McConalogue said:

“Food production at the excellent level we do here and protecting our climate and our biodiversity are not mutually exclusive. They can, and they are, and they will continue to support our farm families.”

In relation to any climate targets that have to be met, Sinn Féin TD, Claire Kerrane stressed that “we cannot keep asking and expecting farmers to do more with less, it is not sustainable”.

The deputy called for more clarity on whether potential targets under the Nature Restoration Law could be met by state-owned lands beyond 2030. Targets must be realistic, achievable and “set with farmers not for farmers,” she said.

Ireland’s agriculture sector

Also speaking at the debate, Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Malcolm Noonan said that there “can’t be good agricultural production without healthy nature and clean water”.

Nature, in return, can’t be restored without farmers, he said emphasising that everything that is being done to restore nature needs to be done through voluntary schemes, with support and the expertise of farmers.

Minister Noonan said that the Irish government will continue to engage in a “positive frame of mind” in relation to the Nature Restoration Law. In the case of the law being rejected at EU level, he said Ireland should embark on its own nature restoration plan.

Questioning the government’s position on the proposed Nature Restoration Law in the Dáil today, Social Democrats TD Holly Cairns said:

“Minister Noonan said that it is happening, the Taoiseach has said that it is going too far, a Fine Gael MEP voted against the law, and Fianna Fáil MEPs are not supporting it. So what is the government’s actual position on it?”

Deputy Cairns said that the proposed law acknowledges that certain groups such as farmers will be more impacted than others. “The rewetting of peatlands has emerged as a point of tension and that is understandable.

“Farmers are looking at the potential impact on their land and their livelihoods, however, knee-jerk reactions at meetings to actively stoke up opposition to this won’t do anybody any good,” Deputy Cairns said.

The Dáil had to be suspended twice during the debate on the Nature Restoration Law after heated exchanges between the TD for Cork South-West, Michael Collins and the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Senator Pippa Hackett.

Minister Hackett at one stage in the debate said that many farmers were “embracing and engaging in agri-environmental schemes, including Deputy Michael Collins who is an organic farmer, engaging in LIFE projects across the country.”

But Deputy Collins took extreme objection to Minister Hackett’s reference to him as an organic farmer and said that” the minister of state used my name inside in the Dáil on private information she must have got only from her husband. I am not an organic farmer.”

Minister Hackett rejected his allegations stating “how dare the deputy say that”.

Deputy Collins asked for her to “correct the record of the Dáil”.

As the exchanges became more heated the Leas Ceann Comhairle, Catherine Connolly, appealed to Deputy Collins to “retake his seat” and then moved to suspend the Dáil, when the TD for Kerry, Michael Healy-Rae, also intervened to “defend” his colleague, the Dáil was suspended for a second time.