Date released: June 25, 2025
26th June 2025: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today published its report on Large Scale illegal Peat Extraction in Ireland. The EPA has investigated 38 sites across seven counties – Offaly, Kildare, Tipperary, Westmeath, Roscommon, Longford and Sligo – where large-scale commercial peat extraction is being carried on without any of the necessary authorisations from the local authorities. These illegal operations are contributing to an export trade of 300,000 tonnes of peat annually, valued at almost €40 million.
The EPA has deployed significant resources to carry out 170 enforcement inspections between 2021 and 2024. It has also taken legal actions at District Court and High Court level against operations on areas greater than 50 hectares. These legal actions have resulted in the cessation of illegal peat extractions on several peatlands in recent years. A number of actions remain live before the courts.
Local authorities have the primary responsibility for regulating all commercial peat extraction, specifically regarding compliance with environmental legislation including the performance of Environmental Impact Assessments, Appropriate Assessments associated with protected habitats, and the granting or otherwise of the necessary planning permissions for those activities.
Local authority enforcement performance in this area is patently inadequate. The EPA is directing local authorities to take appropriate enforcement actions against such operations within their jurisdiction. The EPA will continue to use its powers to ensure that local authorities fully implement and enforce the environmental requirements pertaining to large-scale commercial peat extraction.
The report notes that appropriate regulation of peat harvesting can provide important protections for the environment. Bord Na Móna has lawfully operated nine different peatland complexes across 11 counties under licence from EPA, until 2020 when these operations ceased. Now, in accordance with their licence conditions and with the support of the Peatlands Climate Action Scheme, Bord na Móna is engaged in the rehabilitation of those peatlands with almost 19,000 hectares rehabilitated by the end of 2024, bringing them back to life, allowing nature to take its course and the peatlands to flourish again.
Commenting on the report, Dr Tom Ryan, Director of the EPA Office of Environmental Enforcement said:
“Operators engaged in unauthorised peat harvesting activities are in flagrant violation of environmental law. They are destroying our precious natural environments and this needs to stop.
The environmental damage caused by large-scale peat extraction operating outside regulatory control is catastrophic for the environment. It results in the destruction of vital ecosystems for biodiversity, the loss of important carbon sinks for our efforts on climate change and the decimation of an irreplaceable cultural and scientific amenity and resource.
Local authorities have been conspicuous in their lack of enforcement of environmental law. They need to step up to meet their legal obligations as regulatory authorities, prioritise their resources and use the ample enforcement powers at their disposal to bring these illegal activities to an end and to protect our environment.”
He added:
“Bord na Móna is an excellent example of where appropriate engagement with the environmental regulations, including EPA licensing requirements, has worked to minimise the negative impacts of peat harvesting on the environment and to secure the longer-term rehabilitation of those harvested peatlands.”
The Large Scale illegal Peat Extraction in Ireland report is available on the EPA website.
Further information: Emily Williamson, EPA Media Relations Office 053-9170770 (24 hours) or media@epa.ie
NOTES TO EDITOR
Authorisations required for peat extraction
The report outlines the authorisation process which operators need to follow depending on the scale of peat extraction undertaken. Large-scale commercial peat extraction can only take place if it is granted planning permission. In some cases, an EPA licence is also required.
An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is the process of examining the anticipated environmental effects of a proposed project. EIA is carried out as part of the licensing and planning process.
An Appropriate Assessment (AA) is the process of determining whether a project could have a significant effect on protected sites such as Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas. AA is carried out as part of the licensing and planning process.
Statutory responsibilities
The EPA is the authority responsible for granting and enforcing Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) licences to operators extracting peat in the course of business which involves an area exceeding 50 hectares. In addition, it has the power to take enforcement action on those operating peat extraction activities that exceed this threshold but have not obtained a licence. The EPA also has a specific role, under Section 63 of the EPA Act, to supervise the performance by local authorities of their statutory duties to protect the environment.
Local authorities are responsible for granting or otherwise the necessary planning permissions for peat extraction activities, including carrying out EIA and AA where required.
A large quantity of peat extracted in Ireland has been exported all over the world and the EPAs enforcement action has played a major part in driving down exports of peat arising from illegal large-scale operations.
Remediation of Bord na Mona peatlands
Finally, the report shows that large-scale remediation programmes are underway on a number of EPA-licensed peatlands where peat extraction was previously undertaken by Bord na Móna. Rehabilitation has been completed on 18,861 hectares (57%) of these peatlands with rehabilitation works to be carried out on the remaining 14,139 hectares (43%). The rehabilitation is supported by funding from the Peatlands Climate Action Scheme (PCAS) (also known as the Enhanced Decommissioning, Rehabilitation and Restoration Scheme (EDRRS)). The PCAS is administered by the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), and regulated by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). The rehabilitation works involve taking measures which allow water levels to increase and stabilise across the peatland, providing conditions for peatland habitats and species to naturally recolonise the area.