Publication
Publication of reports commissioned as part of the peat working paper
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
A working Paper was prepared by Senior Officials in DAFM, DECC and DHLGH to address challenges in relation to the supply of peat and peat alternatives to the professional horticultural industry in Ireland. Arising from this paper a number of actions aimed at addressing issues concerning peat supply for the horticulture sector were put forward. Two of these actions concerned commissioning independent experts by DAFM to address the issues of short term and medium term supply of peat for the horticulture sector.
The purpose of the paper was to set out a series of actions to be implemented by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) in conjunction with the Departments of Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), and Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Housing) to alleviate the difficulties being faced by horticultural growers who are dependent on peat as a growing medium. The actions included a range of targeted measures which reflect the multi-faceted nature of the problem and the subsequent need for short, medium and long-term solutions. The measures were being put in place in the wake of the Final Report of the Working Group on the Use of Peat Moss in the Horticultural Industry.
Mr Séamus Boland of Irish Rural Link was commissioned by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to carry out the short-term action regarding the level and suitability of current peat stocks and the identification of potential sub-30 hectare sites. This work is entitled ‘Final Report on the assessment of the Levels and Suitability of Current Indigenous Peat Stocks and Identification of Sub-Thirty Hectare Sites and other recommendations to support domestic horticulture industry as it transitions to peat alternatives’. Please click on the link below to access the report.
Final Report on the assessment of the Levels and Suitability of Current Indigenous Peat Stocks and Identification of Sub-Thirty Hectare Sites and other recommendations to support domestic horticulture industry as it transitions to peat alternatives
Download link for
Download
View the file
View
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, commissioned Mr Des Johnson and Mr Padraic Thornton to provide a regulatory guide for the extraction of peat at sub thirty hectare sites. This work is entitled ‘User’s Guide for the regulatory processes (planning and environmental) that apply specifically to peat extraction activity for horticulture purposes on sites of less than 30ha in Ireland’. Please click on the link below to access the report.