Environmental watchdog says Offaly has most illegal turf cutting sites

THE Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says illegal large scale peat extraction is taking place at nine sites in Offaly and the activity is widespread in Ireland.

“The sector does not operate within planning or environmental laws,” a report issued this week said.

It said it is investigating 38 “large scale operations” over seven counties where illegal peat extraction is taking place and wants Offaly County Council and six other local authorities to “take appropriate enforcement action against operators”.

The other counties identified are Westmeath (eight sites), Roscommon and Tipperary (six sites each), Kildare and Longford (four sites each) and Sligo (one site).

The EPA says large scale peat extraction can only take place if it is granted planning permission and in some cases, an EPA licence is also required.

A planning permission and/or EPA licence will set out conditions which control how the operation takes place. It also controls how the peatlands are rehabilitated and remediated afterwards. This ensures the extraction can take place in an environmentally safe manner, said the agency.

Anyone extracting peat in the course of business in an area exceeding 50 hectares requires an IPC (Integrated Pollution Control) licence from the EPA.

Planning permission is required for anyone extracting peat in an area of more than 30 hectares or in an area less than this where it is likely to have a significant effect on the environment.

According to the EPA the main uses of the peat are horticulture, mushroom growing and animal bedding.

READ NEXT: Bord na Mona gets order telling 'digger driver' to stay away from Offaly border bog

The agency says 313,382 tonnes of peat was exported from Ireland in 2024. That is down from 351,638 in 2023.

The biggest year for peat exports between 2019 and 2024 was 2020 when 919,371 tonnes was sent abroad.

The EPA notes that until 2020 Bord na Móna “lawfully operated” nine different peatland complexes across 11 counties.

All of those bogs were operated in accordance with IPC licences issued by the EPA.

“The extraction of peat at these peatlands has now ceased and large scale remediation programmes are underway in accordance with EPA licence requirements,” said the EPA report.