Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calls on KCC to clamp down on illegal peat harvesters in Kildare

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has called on Kildare County Council to clamp down on illegal peat harvesters in Kildare, which are contributing to an export trade of 300,000 tonnes of peat annually, valued at almost €40 million. 

The EPA this week published its report on Large Scale illegal Peat Extraction in Ireland, which investigated 38 sites across seven counties – Kildare, Offaly, Tipperary, Westmeath, Roscommon, Longford and Sligo.

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Large-scale commercial peat extraction is being carried out in these counties without any of the necessary authorisations from the local authorities.

The EPA has carried out 170 enforcement inspections between 2021 and 2024, and has also taken legal actions at District Court and High Court level against operations on areas greater than 50 hectares.

These legal actions have resulted in the cessation of illegal peat extractions on several peatlands in recent years. A number of actions remain live before the courts. 

The EPA points out that local authorities have the primary responsibility for regulating all commercial peat extraction, specifically regarding compliance with environmental legislation including the performance of Environmental Impact Assessments, Appropriate Assessments associated with protected habitats, and the granting or otherwise of the necessary planning permissions for those activities. 

According to the EPA, local authority enforcement performance in this area is “patently inadequate”, and it is directing local authorities to take appropriate enforcement actions against such operations within their jurisdiction.

The EPA has stated it will continue to use its powers to ensure that local authorities fully implement and enforce the environmental requirements pertaining to large-scale commercial peat extraction.

The report notes that appropriate regulation of peat harvesting can provide important protections for the environment.  

Bord Na Móna has lawfully operated nine different peatland complexes across 11 counties under licence from EPA, until 2020 when these operations ceased.

Now, in accordance with their licence conditions and with the support of the Peatlands Climate Action Scheme, Bord na Móna is engaged in the rehabilitation of those peatlands with almost 19,000 hectares rehabilitated by the end of 2024.

Speaking of the report, Dr Tom Ryan, Director of the EPA Office of Environmental Enforcement said: “Operators engaged in unauthorised peat harvesting activities are in flagrant violation of environmental law. They are destroying our precious natural environments and this needs to stop. 

“The environmental damage caused by large-scale peat extraction operating outside regulatory control is catastrophic for the environment. It results in the destruction of vital ecosystems for biodiversity, the loss of important carbon sinks for our efforts on climate change and the decimation of an irreplaceable cultural and scientific amenity and resource. 

“Local authorities have been conspicuous in their lack of enforcement of environmental law. They need to step up to meet their legal obligations as regulatory authorities, prioritise their resources and use the ample enforcement powers at their disposal to bring these illegal activities to an end and to protect our environment.” 

He added: “Bord na Móna is an excellent example of where appropriate engagement with the environmental regulations, including EPA licensing requirements, has worked to minimise the negative impacts of peat harvesting on the environment and to secure the longer-term rehabilitation of those harvested peatlands.” 

The Large Scale illegal Peat Extraction in Ireland report is available on the EPA website.

Kildare County Council has been contacted for comment.