The process of public engagement and timeframe for the first public consultation on Ireland's draft national nature restoration plan needs to be reviewed, according to the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA).

President Pheilim Molloy called for an extension to the closing date of 1 July and more direct engagement in order for those interested to make their submission, saying that the current process “seems deliberately designed to reduce the number of submissions”.

He described the current process as a “box-ticking exercise”, that “effectively excludes the public due to a level of detail that most people will find exhaustive”.

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The understanding of the INHFA was “that the consultation process would run for two months and see staff from the NPWS and Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage, themselves hold[ing] meetings across the country, explaining the plan and taking questions from members of the public”.

Level of detail

With the level of detail provided and number of documents to be read for context and background information, people “won't have the time to digest the necessary information and respond within the current timeframe”.

He called on the minister to review the process and timeframe. He believes that meetings need to be arranged across the country explain what is involved and critically answer the many questions people have on this, and that the closing date be extended to the end of July.

The nature restoration plan is “the most significant piece of legislation pertaining to land use this century and maybe even since the foundation of the State. The plan has the potential to impact heavily on farmers and landowners but will also impact at community and national level as it will form part of our planning process. It will run to 2050 and possibly beyond and, as of now, there is no money to support it, in a similar manner to the land designations first introduced 30 years ago," he said.

“On this basis, the minimum our farmers, landowners and communities need is real engagement and a timescale that allows for this” added Molloy.

The INHFA president expressed his hope that “the minister will recognise the need for more time and improved engagement through the necessary meetings that we all expected".