Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has been accused of “scaremongering” for his “own political interest” on the proposed European Union (EU) Nature Restoration Law, by Member of European Parliament (MEP), Mick Wallace.
The MEP said he had written to the Taoiseach asking him to become “a nature ambassador at the council of the EU by standing up for an ambitious Nature Restoration Law and dispelling doubts, misinterpretation, and invalid concerns”.
Wallace said he did not receive a reply and has now claimed the Taoiseach is “spreading disinformation” about the law.
The Taoiseach has referred to the proposed Nature Restoration Law in the Dáil and said there were aspects of the proposal that “go too far” particularly in relation to taking agricultural land out of use for food production.
But Wallace has accused “certain TDs, MEPs and the Taoiseach” of scaremongering for their own “political interest”.
In his opinion the proposed EU Nature Restoration Law ensures coherence with the roll-out of renewable energy.
“REPowerEU, WindEurope, SolarPower Europe, and Eurelectric are all in favour of the Nature Restoration Law,” Wallace said.
He also believes the EU proposal will not reduce the amount of land available for food production and that “climate change and biodiversity loss are the biggest long-term threats to food security”.
“The proposal does not require any reduction in farmland, only, in some instances, different farming practices.
“The regulation will not lead to higher food prices, there is absolutely no evidence of this, nor will it affect food security in the global south,” Wallace added.
Wallace is part of the lead committee of the Nature Restoration Law, which is the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety.
The environment committee is scheduled to vote on its position on Thursday, June 15.
The committee’s version of the law will then be voted on by the entire parliament, including 13 MEPs from Ireland.