Community co-operatives proposed for turf cutting

Bord na Móna is exploring a proposal that would see a turbary right established for new community co-operatives in Westmeath and neighbouring counties.

The proposal was made to BNM management on Wednesday by a cross party group of midlands TDs, which included Minister of State Robert Troy. The meeting was organised to discuss the impact that a 2019 High Court Ruling on industrial peat extraction will have on the midlands communities that have depended on turf as the their primary source of fuel for generations.

Hundreds of families living near local BNM bogs have their own turbary rights that the semi state body says won’t be affected the ruling, which found that peat extraction from bogs over 30 hectares requires planning permission. However, campaigners say that virtually all of the rights holders use contractors to harvest their turf.

In recent weeks a number of these contractors received letters from BNM ordering them to not extract peat and which cited the 2019 ruling raising fears that families would have to find a more expensive fuel source to heat their homes in the future.

Deputy Troy is hopeful that a proposal put forward by him and his Dáil colleagues may represent a medium term solution to the problem.

“One of the key proposals tabled is the potential of bestowing a turbary right to newly-established community co-operatives whereby families and individuals dependent on turf as a home-fuel source could continue to engage with a contractor to cut their turf for a period of up to five years as part of a Just Transition.

Deputy Troy continued, “There is a commitment on everybody’s part to try and find a resolution because the Just Transition programme needs to bring everybody with it – nobody can, or should, be left behind.

“What was taken away from the meeting, on-foot of various suggestions, is that the board and their legal team would look at the prospect that the solution for each bog may well be a co-operative one.

“The High Court decision specifically talked about peat extraction for industrial use, even though just 1pc of Bord na Móna bogs are used for turf cutting, which is not industrial in its nature, it is not in the same realm.

“With that in mind we’ve asked they consider the prospect of a leasing arrangement over a number of years to a community co-operative, made up of the entirety of cutters, which will allow them to find alternatives over a period.

“Bord na Móna has agreed to explore what it believes to be a proposal which has great potential. A further meeting has been set for April 28, the hope being that they would be in a position to legally recognise and implement the thrust of the proposal made by the cross-party group of TDs.”

Minister of State Peter Burke has voiced his support for the community co-operative proposal.

The Westmeath Minister of State in the Department of Housing is an agreement with colleagues’ proposals to seek an extension to turf cutting rights at Bord na Móna bogs.

“In the midlands, we have no alternative to turf at present. My Department, in conjunction with Minister Ryan, are carrying out retrofitting, beginning with older social housing stock, but this is labour intensive and is not an option for most houses right now. Until there are viable alternatives, turf must be here to stay in places like Westmeath and the midlands.

“In relation to the Bord na Móna bogs, it makes sense that local communities use this turf to heat their homes once the peatlands are decommissioned.

“I fully support calls for the bogs nearing the end of their lifecycle to be given to the local community to cut private turf for the remaining years of life in the bog bank, as we try to keep pace with alternatives coming on stream over the coming years

“Bord na Móna is referring to a High Court decision as rationale for not allowing this, but this is completely inaccurate as the High Court case relates to harvesting of peat by large-scale commercial operators, not private contractors and local communities.

“There have been significant changes to our communities with the closure of the Lough Ree Power Station and other Bord na Móna commercial decisions. This one step to allow the local communities to continue to cut turf for a short period makes sense and allows families to have some security in their fuel provision over the coming years”.