Bord na Móna has fallen short on giving commitment to make good any damage to private lands resulting from the rewetting, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) has said.

Commenting on the Statement of Intent issued by Bord na Móna, ICMSA president Pat McCormack, said a written guarantee will be required from Bord na Móna.

“It’s important to acknowledge that and repeat that we have no objection to the project itself, nor do we doubt Bord na Móna’s good faith in this.

“However, we note that the statement still falls short of that categorical commitment as the basic requirement for the project to get buy-in from neighbouring farmers.

“We still think that is what’s required and the question then becomes what degree of legal obligation is placed upon Bord na Móna by this statement of intent.”

Respect the rights

The ICMSA said that the statement does not hit the degree of legal certainty that neighbouring farmers expect.

“There’s a contradiction here that Bord na Móna has never solved. Stressing their good intentions and engineering expertise is beside the point,” McCormack continued.

“If Bord na Móna is confident about their expertise in this area and are so committed to ongoing supervision of the project, then they should be willing to putting their name to an agreement with the neighbouring farmers guaranteeing that expertise and commitment.

“When that happens, we’ll be glad to acknowledge it and help in any way that respects the rights of farmers.”