Laois TD Brian Stanley has welcomed the decision to grant Bord na Mona a substitute planning consent for this year’s peat harvest which will allow them to cut turf.
The Sinn Fein Agriculture spokesperson says the move, which has been accepted by An Bord Pleanala, is good news for many workers from Laois.
He said: “This decision was meant to be made in March but has been unduly delayed by An Bord Pleanála.
“The decision is good news for Bord na Mona workers in Laois/Offaly and South Kildare whose employment prospects for this year were being put in jeopardy.
“This includes workers in Cul na Mona in Laois and Kilberry in South Kildare along with those in Offaly that supply peat to Edenderry power station and Derrinlough Briquette Factory.
“The application now needs to be processed quickly by An Bord Pleanána as there have been enough delays in this process.
“The decision in this was to be made in March but regrettably two months of very dry weather, which would have been very suitable for peat harvesting, have been lost.
“I’m calling on An Bord Pleanána to grant this without any further delay.”
A High Court ruling last September prevented the company from harvesting peat, but this decision by An Bord Pleanála means that it can cut turf on bogs of more than 30 hectares.
Despite this, Bord na Móna said the collapse in demand for energy as a result of the Covid-19 crisis was likely to mean that it would be unable to reverse the decision to temporarily lay off 230 workers on full pay last month.
“The company will, however, review the implications of the An Bord Pleanála announcement to assess the new operational requirements for peat operations,” Bord na Móna said in a statement.
“The company will be communicating the full implications of this decision to employees in the coming days and weeks.”
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