EU to continue fight as just 1% of bogs left

THERE is now less than 1% of living bog left in the country and despite it being protected, the decimation continues, the European Parliament was told.

But if turf cutting begins as normal in the spring, the EU will consider taking out a court injunction against the Government, environment commissioner Janis Potochnik said.

Despite agreeing at EU level 20 years ago to protect a small percentage of what were the best raised bogs in Europe, the government handed out 10-year derogations on these sites even as they were selected as special areas of conservation.