Minister of State Pippa Hackett has said that restoring nature should not be controversial, and that the proposed nature restoration law can "revitalise and invigorate rural Ireland" and "has the capacity to breath new life into rural communities".

Speaking to the Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) in Dublin on Monday about the controversial rewetting proposals, Hackett said that over the medium term, the needs could be met entirely through state-owned land.

She pointed to Bord na Móna and also highlighted the amount of peat lands Coillte controls that would be suitable for rewetting.

Compulsory land purchases

The minister of state said there will be no compulsory purchases of land for rewetting, but that there will be opportunities for private landowners to participate if they want.

She did acknowledge that there are gaps in the data on the benefits of rewetting, and cited the release from Teagasc last week as showing that more work needs to be done on that.

The minister did go on the attack some critics of the proposed nature restoration law, accusing them of "playing the politics of fear" in pitching rural populations against urban dwellers.

Agricultural productivity

On agricultural productivity, Hackett said that it might be time to "redefine what production is" for farmers, and that "services to state and society" should form part of the measures we have for productivity, not just counting food output.

On Tuesday's vote in the European Parliament, the minister said she "hoped the European People's Party make the correct decision".