A report on the use of peat moss in the horticultural industry, and an accompanying action plan, will be damaging to the sector – this is the view of The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA).
The call is for the publication to be “scrapped” and “re-evaluated”.
The paper, titled Review of the use of Peat Moss in Horticulture, is the result of work carried out by a working group established following a series of High Court decisions which determined that large-scale peat harvesting requires planning permission and licensing by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The working group was set up by Malcolm Noonan, the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
Both the report and action plan have subsequently been published. In response, the IFA released a statement suggesting that recommendations set out in the final report are contrary to the action plan points. IFA horticulture chair Paul Brophy remarked that the plan will lead to the demise of the sector. “It doesn’t indicate how the current producers of the key raw material can become fully compliant and continue to service the industry needs. The IFA is calling for it to be scrapped and re-evaluated immediately.”
The report suggests that the dual consent process for peat harvesting must be reformed. But Brophy declared that the action plan would cause Irish growers to become dependent on imported peat, which would be catastrophic for the green credentials of the industry. “If anything, it will exacerbate the problems facing Irish growers, instead of addressing them,” he said.
LSL News.