Tánaiste Micheál Martin has confirmed that rural dwellers will not have their homes searched for turf following new solid fuel regulation proposals.

The legislation, he said, respects turbary rights and the rights of people, historically and traditionally, who have used turf from their own bogs to fuel their own homes.

"That will continue. There is no question of people going into people's homes, taking turf and penalising them or anything like that. That is not going to happen. That is scaremongering to an extraordinary degree."

The Tánaiste said that the Government is anxious to protect those who had historical and traditional practices in respect of the bogs they own.

He argued that the commercial exploitation of bogs is a separate question, particularly in terms of air quality.

Large-scale peat extraction

This week, the Irish Farmers Journal reported that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is investigating suspected illegal peat extraction from bogs in the midlands.

The EPA visited a number of bogs where peat extraction activities were considered to be significant and of a commercial nature.

Drone imagery captured by the EPA shows large-scale peat extractions - which are believed to be unauthorised - taking place on

bogs across the midlands.

The information was released to the Irish River Project following an access to information on the environment (AIE) request.

Director of Right to Know Ashley Glover told the Irish Farmers Journal that there are about six large companies carrying out

extraction activities.

“These are just the larger sites that the EPA has jurisdiction over - it’s not all illegal peat extraction in Ireland. Park and wildlife

[NPWS] [which has] jurisdiction over the unlicenced extraction in SACs - they won’t release any of the information under AIE.

"They’ve refused to release the equivalent inspection reports and drone photography, which I’m suspicious about. The EPA deal[s]

with just the large commercial sites. The EPA [has] jurisdiction over illegal extraction in SACs."

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EPA investigating suspected illegal peat extraction