Bog rewetting: Bord na Móna indicates rollback on ‘written agreement’ position

Bord na Móna (BNM) is “considering” the possibility of providing written agreements to farmers that are concerned about the potential impact of the semi-state company’s bog rewetting plans on neighbouring farms. 

The update, provided to the ICMSA in recent days, indicates that BNM may have rolled back from their previous position on the matter, whereby the company stated that such formal arrangements “were not required” due to the company’s lengthy experience of bog rehabilitation.

However, with BNM on track to commence its rewetting operations on an initial 33,000ac of bog this month – the €126m peatlands restoration project aims to rewet 80,000ac of BNM bogs in total – this will be a welcome development for affected farmers.

ICMSA president Pat McCormack said that they had received a communication from BNM in which the semi-state declared that it had “made its position known” on the question of guarantees, but was considering the matter and would be making a statement in due course.

He said the farm organisation stood ready to work with BNM and the farmers concerned, as soon as “the bare minimum of recognition and responsibility” for any consequences of the proposed rewetting were “explicitly accepted by way of written guarantee” from BNM.

“There’s been a little bit of chopping and changing by some contributors to this question, but our position hasn’t changed one iota - nor will it.

“Bord na Mona is proposing a project that could have incredibly damaging consequences for the farms adjoining the rewetting sites.

"We have said before that we have absolutely no problem with BNM doing what they want with their own lands, but we have a major problem with BNM carrying out work on their lands that could undo the work of generations of families who’ve been farming beside them and make currently valuable pastures unworkable.

"We don’t think that that is an unreasonable position. When Bord na Móna wave that away and say that ‘they’re confident that neighbouring farm land won’t flood or suffer damage’, then we say, if they’re that confident they won’t mind giving the farms concerned a written guarantee to that effect.

"I’d like to reassure the farmers around these sites that we will insist that their rights are safeguarded and that their hard work and assets are not made collateral damage of any state or semi-state project, regardless of how well intentioned it is or how confident the engineers are,” he said.

“We think that, in due course, Bord na Mona will realise that it’s fair and feasible to stand behind their own plans and expertise and give the farmers the written guarantee to which any reasonable observer would conclude those neighbouring farmers are entitled,” he said.

Rehabilitation experience

In a statement to the Farming Independent on the potential of providing written agreements to affected farmers Bord na Móna again doubled down on its previous experience in this area.

“We have already rehabilitated 20,000ha of peatlands, much of this in the last 20 years on bogs that were fully, or partially developed for peat harvesting.

"This extensive area of peatland rehabilitation is located at a multitude of sites throughout our estate, adjoining private residences, communities, and thousands of kilometres of farmland and our farming neighbours.

"We have rehabilitated these tens of thousands of hectares of land effectively and with great care for adjoining landowners. This continues to inform our approach,” a BNM spokesman said.

BNM says it has engaged in “close consultation” with a range of stakeholders and numerous meetings with groups and individuals in the period since the announcement of the Peatlands Climate Action Scheme in late November.

"We have had multiple positive meetings and engagements with farming organisations, Local Authorities, individual local and national public representatives, the Midlands Regional Transition Team and other parties.

“We have engaged with national and local media where our team has answered questions and successfully allayed many of the concerns people may have on our plans,” the statement concluded.

Kieran Mulvey ‘willing to help’

Meanwhile, Just Transition Commissioner Kieran Mulvey has said he is “willing to help” address escalating tensions on peat harvesting, turf cutting and bog rewetting.

Mr Mulvey told this publication that he identified potential problems arising on these matters shortly after being appointed by Government to oversee the impact of the closure of two peat-fired power stations in the midlands in November 2019.

However, as the three aforementioned issues are beyond the commissioner's current remit, he said he would need “written instructions” as to what his role would be from Climate and Environment Minister Eamon Ryan.

"I don’t want to overlap with whatever working group is dealing with the matter. I’d need to know what I’m specifically trying to achieve, if there is funding involved and the nature of the representative groups — what you don’t want to be doing is dealing with individuals. You need to know there is an umbrella body,” he said.

Online Editors