Government criticises ‘scaremongering’ over peatland restoration

The Minister for Housing has said there has been “scaremongering” over the EU restoration law.

The European Commission says the law is a key element of the EU Biodiversity Strategy, which calls for binding targets to restore degraded ecosystems, in particular those with the most potential to capture and store carbon and to prevent and reduce the impact of natural disasters.

The proposals include targets for the restoration and rewetting of drained peatlands.

Representing the government during Leaders’ Questions, Darragh O’Brien said rewetting would be at a State’s discretion under the EU council’s proposals.

“There should no fear in that sector of any measures being taken where a farm or farming communities aren’t going to voluntarily opt in.”

He said agriculture production is not expected to be significantly or adversely affected as State lands will contribute almost all of the initial commitment under the proposal.

He was responding to Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns who said EU nature restoration “hangs in the balance” as the final vote of the European Parliament’s environment committee on the matter was postponed on Thursday.

She described the law as one of the most important pieces of EU legislation in its history.

Ms Cairns, who is also a farmer, said: “There is no future for farming unless we protect our ecosystems and our biodiversity.”

Mr O’Brien said the proposed regulation provides an opportunity for transformative change in Irish nature restoration.

“Ireland remains absolutely supportive of the ambition underpinning these regulations.”

However, the Fianna Fail minister said there were challenges within the vision of the proposal including tight timeframes on delivery targets.

Elsewhere in the session, Sinn Fein TD Pearse Doherty accused the minister of having his “head in the sand” over mortgage interest rates he said were crippling families.

He said a constituent had seen a 700-euro increase in monthly repayments and now sees “no future for herself or her child”.

“One out of five mortgage-holders across the State are going to see an interest rate hike of 4,800 euro – and that’s before today’s interest rate hike is factored in.

“That’s the reality, and what the Government has done is nothing.”

The European Central Bank raised the interest rate by a further quarter of a percentage point to 4% on Thursday.

Mr Doherty said Sinn Fein called for temporary and targeted mortgage interest relief to support households.

Mr O’Brien criticised Sinn Fein’s planning and foresight on economic matters, adding: “Every week, deputy, you come in with further asks and further asks for additional spends, additional tax, additional reliefs.

“That’s not the way that any responsible government would manage the economy or manage the country.”

The minister said the Government will consider the matter appropriately in the context of the upcoming budget.