Bord na Móna has announced plans for a three million pound bog conservation programme which it says will secure the future of some of Europe's most environmentally important peatland.
At the handover ceremony held at All Saints Bog near Birr, County Offaly, Ger Connolly, Minister for State at the Department of the Environment officially accepted the 276 acres (112 hectares) of this raised bog, and Carrowbehy Bog in County Roscommon from Brendan Halligan, Chairman of Bord na Móna.
These ecologically significant boglands in the midlands and west will now be conserved in one of the country's biggest environmental projects, aided by funds from the European Community, which has funded fifty per cent of this deal. It’s still a high price for Bord na Móna to pay, says Brendan Halligan,
The probable loss of gross revenue to Bord na Móna from this package is about £240 million.
This is just the beginning of a series of measures to conserve Ireland’s peatlands. Commissioner for Wildlife Service Brendan Scully told RTÉ News that he would not rule out actions such as issuing licences for turf cutting, as
We will have to take steps to ensure that all raised bog won't be cut away for turf.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 29 August 1990. The reporter is Jim Fahy.
