Taoiseach Micheál Martin has agreed to hold an “urgent meeting” with Climate and Environment Minister Eamon Ryan, Just Transition Commissioner Kieran Mulvey and Fianna Fáil TD Barry Cowen on the “failures” of the Just Transition programme in the midlands and beyond.
The development comes after Bord na Móna (BNM) yesterday rejected proposals from midlands and western region politicians seeking that community-led co-operatives continue to cut turf on 1pc of its lands for up to five years to give homeowners, reliant on turf cutting, a chance to switch their heating source.
If also follows news this week that BNM awarded the tender for a bike hire operation at Lough Boora Discovery Park in Co Offaly to a large bike-hire operation run by Dublin GAA star Conal Keaney; while a local bike provider, in business for 11 years, lost out on the opportunity.
Speaking to the Farming Independent, deputy Cowen confirmed that the high-level meeting will now go ahead.
"It would appear it'll be political interference only that'll resolve the turf-cutting issue as BNM has aligned themselves squarely with the 2019 High Court decision on peat extraction.
"A decision I'm far from convinced that was targeted at household cutters, but that's for us to argue now with our own masters and colleagues.
"The exemption to planning originally in place for BNM was a blanket exemption applied to all their lands, inclusive of industrial, commercial and some extraction for home heating on 1pc of their land holding.
"The case and decision of the courts specifically stated the exemption and statutory instrument was illegal in the case of ‘industrial’ extraction.
“Therefore, it is my firm contention that, were BNM to lease those lands – originally leased under license – to a series of co-operatives across various limited bogs used for such purposes (where members cut for their own use), the terms of lease would/could be a fixed three/five year term allowing an adequate period for transition away from such fuels, allied to Government incentives/initiatives/grants.
"That would be a just transition, a fair and reasonable solution. Hiding behind the court decision as an excuse to do nothing and throw these people over the cliff rather than properly interpreting the courts decision, is an abdication of responsibility and an abject failure,” he said.
Further to the TD’s recent contribution in the Dáil on the Climate Change Bill - where deputy Cowen outlined his “disappointment, frustration and no little anger at the ridiculously slow, poorly administered and apparent inept governance/leadership/delivery of just transition programme” he requested that an official meeting on the matter be held.
He continued: “The Taoiseach has agreed to accommodate an urgent meeting with he, Minister Ryan, Kieran Mulvey and I.
"Yesterday's meeting, the bundling of a bike-hire contract where a local and much-loved provider was sidelined, has only served as a stark reminder of the need for such a sudden and transformative meeting.”
In a statement following yesterday’s online meeting with midlands and western region TDs, BNM said it provided “a detailed legal briefing” to the politicians on the impact of the 2019 High Court case on peat extraction operation.
“The briefing outlined why turf cutting, and other peat extraction without planning permission on BNM lands is illegal.
In 2019, the High Court ruled that peat extraction operations, on bogs over 30ha, requires planning permission. All peat extraction operations that contravene this ruling are illegal.
“The company’s own peat harvesting operations were halted this year. In parallel with this, BNM has migrated 350 employees from peat harvesting to the Peatlands Climate Action Scheme. This scheme will secure a 100 million tonne carbon store, sequester millions more tonnes of carbon and develop the amenity potential of our lands.
“Fortunately, the vast majority, 1600 people, who have cut turf on BNM lands are turbary rights holders. They continue to enjoy the same rights as before the High Court ruling.
“Following the High Court ruling it is illegal for the approximately 30 industrial peat contractors to extract peat under licence on BNM lands as before.”
The company said it is engaging with stakeholders on the particular issues arising from the High Court ruling.
