One in five acres in Ireland is potentially at risk of being included in a strictly protected zone under European Commission proposals, Brendan Joyce, vice-president of the INHFA, said.

Along with land that is already designated, the Commission has also proposed that peatlands, grasslands and wetlands should also be strictly protected in the EU, as they are carbon-rich and can store large amounts of carbon.

“After the UK leaves [the European Union] we have the largest percentage of peatlands in Europe,” Joyce said.

Colm O’Donnell, INHFA president, warned that reclaimed bog land could be included in this designation.

We need to ensure that we put our best foot forward

“All the reclaimed areas, all the reclaimed bog land and peatland in north Kerry, for example, that is now in dairying, are part of these lands.

“Don’t be fooled here that this is the top of the mountains or the raised bogs. They’re already designated under the Natura 2000 network.

“This could be done as part of completion of the Natura 2000 network or it could be done with a national designation. We need to ensure that we put our best foot forward,” he said.

Vincent Roddy of the INHFA said the move is going to affect farmers who have cattle, sheep and sucker cows an awful lot more than dairy farmers, “but there will be dairy farmers affected, there’s no doubt about that”.