Irish referral to ECJ over protection of bogs could reignite turf wars

The commission said bogs in these Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) continue to be degraded through drainage and turf-cutting activities, and insufficient action is being taken to restore the sites

The European Commission’s decision to refer Ireland to the EU Court of Justice (ECJ) for not doing enough to protect our bogs could reignite turf wars here.

That was the warning from Roscommon-Galway TD, Michael Fitzmaurice, chairperson of the Turf Cutters and Contractors Association (TCCA), expressed outraged at the move and said it has “obliterated years of progress” made through negotiation and consultation between the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and domestic turfcutters and contractors.