Report Exposes Widespread Illegal Peat Harvesting in 7 Counties

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has today sounded the alarm over extensive illegal peat extraction taking place across Ireland.

In a newly published report, the EPA reveals it has investigated 38 large-scale peat harvesting sites operating without the necessary authorisations across seven counties: Offaly, Kildare, Tipperary, Westmeath, Roscommon, Longford, and Sligo.

These unauthorised operations are fuelling a lucrative export trade of 300,000 tonnes of peat every year, with an estimated value of nearly €40 million.

Between 2021 and 2024, the EPA carried out 170 enforcement inspections and initiated multiple legal actions in both the District and High Courts. These interventions have led to the shutdown of several major illegal peat operations, though a number of cases remain ongoing.

While local authorities are legally responsible for regulating commercial peat extraction — including ensuring Environmental Impact Assessments and appropriate planning permissions are in place — the EPA has sharply criticised their performance.

“Local authority enforcement in this area is patently inadequate,” the report states. The EPA has now formally directed local councils to step up enforcement efforts and will continue to monitor compliance closely.

EPA Director of Environmental Enforcement, Dr Tom Ryan, didn’t hold back in his remarks: “Operators engaged in unauthorised peat harvesting are in flagrant violation of environmental law. They are destroying our precious natural environments and this needs to stop.”

He warned of the devastating impacts: the destruction of biodiversity-rich habitats, the loss of carbon sinks crucial to tackling climate change, and the erasure of vital cultural and scientific resources.

In stark contrast, Bord na Móna was highlighted as a model of compliance. Until 2020, it operated nine licensed peatland complexes under EPA oversight. Since ceasing extraction, the company has shifted focus to environmental rehabilitation, restoring nearly 19,000 hectares of peatland by the end of 2024 under the Peatlands Climate Action Scheme.

“Bord na Móna is an excellent example of how proper regulation and licensing can protect the environment and support long-term peatland recovery,” Dr Ryan added.

The full Large-Scale Illegal Peat Extraction in Ireland report is now available on the EPA website.