The Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) has called on Minister Malcom Noonan to engage with farmers prior to the drafting of Ireland's national nature restoration plan.

The Nature Restoration Law (NRL) was passed by the Council of the European Union (Council of Ministers) this year.

Now, each country is required to draft their own national restoration plan that must then be submitted to the European Commission.

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INHFA national president Vincent Roddy said that farmers are the critical stakeholders who will be affected by the plan.

He said this process “must be completed by July 2026 so the clock is ticking on this”.

“Active engagement must not be confused with stakeholder consultation. Stakeholders must be at the table prior to the writing of any draft,” he said.

Engagement

The INHFA has written to the minister about the need for immediate engagement that must include farmer representation.

Roddy said he is concerned about the lack of engagement four months since the NRL was passed.

Once there is a draft plan, he said it is “more difficult to get significant changes made and our experience is that 80% of what is in the initial draft will find its way into the final document and become law”.

He added that commitments were “given that farmers and landowners would not be compelled to carry our specific actions and these commitments were also confirmed in Dáil Éireann last June”.

“The long delay in commencing stakeholder engagement is now a major concern and we have to wonder if this time is being used to find a mechanism that will dilute the impact of these voluntary commitments.”