BOG owners who have agreed to sell their land to the Department of the Environment for conservation purposes have been told they will not be paid until 2014.
The farmers have already spent sums of around €2,000 in solicitor and other fees to process the sales under the voluntary bog scheme.
Many of those in midland regions have been told they can no longer cut turf and have the option of selling their land to the department for between €5,000 and €6,000 an acre.
The Oireachtas Environment committee heard yesterday that the 10 year ban on turf-cutting will mean a major change in the way of life for more than 800 bog owners.
Fianna Fáil TD Johnny Brady, who represents Meath West, was among those critical of the Department of the Environment, which, he said, should stick to agreements to buy land.
"Some people agreed to sell to the department in good faith and they went about applying through their solicitor and now they find that they have bills of up to €2,000 owed to their solicitors and they got letter from the department recently saying they would not be paid until 2014," he told the committee.
"A lot of these would be small farmers going through a difficult time," he added.
Mr Brady said bog owners, in many cases, had to agree to the sales against their will. "They were told if they didn’t they would be bought at the department’s price in years to come," he said.
Conor O’Reilly – director of the department’s National Park and Wildlife Service, said: "For the last number of years we have had more interest in the voluntary purchase scheme than we have had the capacity to fulfil all the demands, in terms of administrative capacity or legal services capacity from the two state solicitors office, or the budget."
"We have increased over the last two years the amount of money being spent by the department.
"We have spent €6.4m and €4.6m was available this year," he said.
Environment Minister, John Gormley, said in response to a recent parliamentary question that the future of the voluntary purchasing scheme would be considered in light of economic circumstances.
The 10-year ban applies to 32 raised bogs in the midlands which have been marked as special conservation areas and subject to the EU Habitats Directive.
It was due to come into effect at the start of this year, but was postponed.
A turf-cutting ban on a further 139 bogs around the country, mainly along the west coast, is due to come into effect by 2014.
Christy O’Sullivan (FF) told the committee yesterday that bog cutting was "a right which these people have had going back years" and said "it’s right that they are compensated in a fair manner that will not have them out of pocket in any way."
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Wednesday, July 22, 2009
