A meeting to address the proposed EU Nature Restoration Law and rewetting proposals will be hosted by the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) next week.
Farmers at the meeting will be informed on the targets and obligations set out within the proposed regulation, and what they could potentially mean for farmers that are impacted.
The information meeting will take place on Wednesday, May 10, at 8:00p.m in the Tullamore Court Hotel, Co. Offaly.
Representatives from both the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) will speak at the meeting.
The Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Malcolm Noonan will address the meeting online.
Nature Restoration Law
The proposed law sets out that a range of land and marine habitats and species must cover at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea area by 2030, and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050, the IFA said.
The law, which is a key element of the EU Biodiversity Strategy, could have far reaching consequences for Irish agriculture and is a serious concern for farmers and rural communities, IFA president Tim Cullinan said.
Some of the proposed measures and targets to restore and rewet drained peatlands under agriculture use, he said, will place “substantial constraints” on farming practices and reduce production.
However, there are more comprehensive restoration targets proposed encompassing habitats and species protected under the Habitats Directive, the IFA environment chair Paul O’Brien said.
Commenting that the lack of clarity on the potential impact of the proposed regulation on farmland and production is very worrying, O’Brien said:
“It is vital that a full impact assessment is undertaken to quantify the area of farmland that will be affected to ensure the proposed targets are realistic and fair, and are not detrimental to the continuation of farming.”
Based on the Teagasc estimate of 450,000ha of drained peatland under agricultural use, over 135,000ha would need to be restored to satisfactory levels, including the rewetting of 34,000ha by 2030, the IFA said.