The Government faces being brought to the European Court of Justice if turf-cutting takes place on protected bogs next spring.
EU Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik told MEPs today that interim measures, or legal injunctions, would be sought if EU environment law was being openly flouted.
An EU Commission source confirmed that turf-cutting on bogs protected by the Habitats Directive would be considered such a case.
The Government's record on protecting bogs came before the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament.
A delegation from Friends of the Irish Environment argued that the EU's Habitats Directive has been consistently and illegally flouted.
Independent MEP Marian Harkin called for dialogue on the issue, as people who have cut turf for generations were being forced to give up their rights.
However, Danish MEP Margrete Auken described the cutting of protected bogs as one of the worst cases of environmental damage ever to come before the Petitions Committee.
Senior EU Commission official Liam Cashman said there had been a deliberate policy by previous Irish governments not to implement EU law, however the current administration had promised to act.
Turf-cutting was banned on 32 active raised bogs last year, and there is a promise to extend the ban to a further 24 raised bogs by the end of this year. They are protected conservation areas under EU law.
However, investigations by Friends of the Irish Environment showed that turf cutting continued on some protected sites, particularly industrial scale extraction. This data was submitted to the Petitions Committee.
The group maintains that unprecedented environmental damage is taking place in Ireland, due to ongoing Government inaction.
Earlier this year, Heritage Minister Jimmy Deenihan introduced laws that allowed for search warrants to be issued by District Courts where breaches on peat extraction are suspected.
