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Midlands County Councils Issue Statements Over Illegal Peat Extraction Report

Wednesday, 9 July 2025 06:49

The EPA believes county councils in the midlands are failing in their responsibilities.

Local authorities in the Midlands are responding after being named in an EPA report on illegal peat extraction.

It named sites under the respective remits of Offaly County Council and Westmeath County Council engaging in the practice on a large scale without proper licensing.

Both local authorities are insisting they're committed to environmental protection in their own counties, and that they recognise the importance of appropriate regulation in this sector.

Offaly County Council says while it takes statutory planning seriously, the scale of the illegal activities listed in the report goes beyond their operational and legal capacities.

It says that the technical environmental assessments and legal proceedings needed require expertise and resources they can't finance on their own.

The Council in Westmeath adds that planning legislation on peat extraction has become more complicated, with recent judgements in the High Court and Court of Appeal on peat extraction creating legal uncertainties.

However, they say they've successfully pursued enforcement action in numerous cases where clear evidence of unauthorised development has been established. 

Both local authorities say setting up a national body with the necessary resources and state backing would be needed to take on the risks.

The EPA insist the responsibility falls on the councils for any sites under 50 hectares in size, which are contributing to an export trade of 300,000 tonnes of peat annually, valued at almost €40m.

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