Kildare Co Council investigating illegal peat extraction
The EPA observed the harrowing of milled peat at a site in north Kildare last year
KILDARE County Council is assessing four sites identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) where alleged unauthorised large-scale peat extraction may be taking place, following fresh scrutiny of illegal peat harvesting across Ireland.
The issue came under the spotlight when an EPA delegation appeared before the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, where it revealed there are 44 unauthorised peat extraction sites across seven counties; Kildare, Offaly, Tipperary, Westmeath, Roscommon, Longford and Sligo.
However, the agency said only one local authority, Longford County Council, has commenced enforcement action so far.
Responding to questions from Kildare Nationalist, Kildare County Council said it takes its planning enforcement responsibilities seriously and is currently examining the four Kildare sites highlighted by the EPA.
A council spokesperson said: "Kildare County Council takes its planning enforcement and environmental protection responsibilities very seriously and has a strong track record of pursuing enforcement action in complex planning and environmental cases where clear evidence of unauthorised development and environmental damage has been established."
The spokesperson added: "The EPA have identified four sites in County Kildare where alleged unauthorised large scale peat extraction may be taking place. Kildare County Council is assessing each of these sites to gain an understanding of the legal and environmental complexities involved.
"Given the complexity of these matters, the council is also engaging at a sectoral level with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and other relevant stakeholders in relation to the development of appropriate enforcement structures and plans to tackle all such sites as identified by the EPA."
EPA Deputy Director General Tom Ryan said the agency has provided local authorities with detailed intelligence, including site coordinates and aerial photography, to assist with enforcement.
He said the EPA has carried out 226 enforcement inspections of peat activities between 2021 and 2026, but only Longford County Council had introduced what he described as a "well-reasoned county-wide enforcement plan" and begun taking action.
Mr Ryan told the committee that illegal peat extraction is being carried out for significant commercial gain, pointing to Central Statistics Office figures showing approximately 370,000 tonnes of peat were exported from the Republic in 2025, with an estimated value of almost €40 million.
Under planning legislation, peat extraction and associated drainage on new or extended areas exceeding 10 hectares requires planning permission, while developments of more than 50 hectares also require an EPA licence.
Earlier this year, the Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC) welcomed the EPA's investigation into illegal industrial peat extraction, describing it as evidence of a "system-wide failure" to regulate the industry.
The conservation group said the EPA's investigation had identified dozens of unauthorised industrial peat extraction sites across counties including Kildare, warning that peatland destruction has significant consequences for biodiversity, carbon storage and water quality.
The IPCC also highlighted EPA findings that around 300,000 people received 'At Risk' notices about their drinking water supplies in 2024 due to elevated levels of trihalomethanes (THMs), compounds linked to the treatment of water containing high levels of organic material such as peat.
The group has called for stronger enforcement, arguing that operators should be required to restore damaged peatlands once extraction ends.
