Ireland has imported 172,000t of peat since 2016, including nearly 20,000t in the past year alone, recent figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) indicate.
This underlines, according to an Aontú candidate for the upcoming European elections, why Donegal homes may “face a future without traditional turf fires”.
According to Mary T. Sweeney from Letterkenny, farmers need to be protected.
“It is farcical, ludicrous, whatever word you want to use for it, to be importing so much foreign peat.
“The farmer’s finances are being cut everywhere he looks,” she added.
Sweeney said: “The irony of our government telling us not to cut turf, while the European Commission takes Ireland to court over alleged bog protection failures, is glaring.
“At the same time, 170,000t of peat are imported to meet domestic demand. It’s hypocritical to penalise small Irish farmers, while supporting foreign peat producers.”
Peat imports
Sweeney, who formally was an auctioneer at sheep sales at marts, criticised the coalition government, particularly the Green Party, for what she thought had inconsistent and punitive measures.
“The Greens have no grasp of the issue. They impose carbon taxes and other measures that hurt farmers and rural communities, yet allow peat imports. The air miles and carbon footprint from these imports are immense,” she said.
She emphasised the cultural and practical importance of turf in rural Co. Donegal: “Turf is our way of life. It’s the sole heat source for many, especially the vulnerable.
“If the Greens succeed in banning Irish turf, the old and the poor will suffer most.”
Sweeney has called on all Donegal candidates to clarify their stance on turf cutting before the elections.
“The government’s hypocrisy and lack of common sense are evident with these figures. Their obsession with optics over practical solutions is maddening,” she added.
In relation to potential solutions or alternatives, Sweeney said that there cannot be the same legal requirements for every farmer.
“There has to be more economic consideration, given the farming communities and the fact they’re on lower financial thresholds – there is no ‘one size fits all’ in legal terms,” she stressed.