ALL HARVESTING OF peat is stopping today as Bord Na Mona shifts towards the rehabilitation of Irish bogs.

The rehabilitation scheme, at a cost of €5 million, is currently being finalised by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment. 

Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment Richard Bruton welcomed the development, as workers will be retrained to work in bog rehabilitation.

“I welcome that Bord na Móna have confirmed that all affected workers will be reassigned into areas which will deliver strong environmental sustainability and that there will be no compulsory redundancies,” said Minister Bruton. 

The Chief Executive of Bord Na Mona, Tom Donnellan also spoke on the rehabilitation plans, saying that they will continue to support Ireland’s effort in combating climate change.

“Changing how we manage and care for our land is key to this and in the time since we have been working with the government to see how best we can use our land to help not just with climate action but also to support national policy on biodiversity,”

According to the Minister, the government is committed to securing both long-term employment and a just transition for workers and the Midlands.

A total of €36 million has been allocated to the Midlands for Just Transition in 2020, with 20 million going towards a retrofitting initiative for houses. 

Under this initiative, houses will be grouped together and upgrades will be delivered to local authority social housing first. 

400 jobs are to be created, with both direct and indirect employment as a result of the retrofitting initiative. 

100 new jobs are also expected in new recycling operations. 

Minister Bruton has also announced that a territorial plan is to be drawn up so the Midlands can access EU Just Transition funding, similar to how coal regions in Europe can.

“The budget for the Fund is expected to increase from €7.5 billion to €40 billion over the period 2021-2027 and we will work to secure a significant increase in Ireland’s allocation as a result,” said Minister Bruton.