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INCIDENTS OF UNAUTHORISED turf cutting have declined this year, while almost 3,800 compensation payments have been made.
That is according to Jimmy Deenihan TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, who updated the Cabinet on progress made so far this year on the issue of turf cutting on protected Special Areas of Conservation (SACs).
He told Cabinet that incidents of unauthorised turf cutting on raised SACs bogs this year declined by over 45 per cent compared with 2012.
He also said that over 3,800 individual compensation payments have been made since the Cessation of Turf Cutting Compensation Scheme was introduced in 2011.
Over €6 million has been paid to affected turf cutters under the scheme, while there have also been 292 deliveries of turf have been made to homes.
Deenihan said that 790 turf cutters have indicated that they are interested in relocation. He said that work is ongoing in sourcing relocation sites for these people.
Strategy
The Minister said that he intends to publish a draft National Peatlands Strategy, a draft National Raised Bog SAC Management Plan, and a review of Raised Bog Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs) before the end of 2013.
According to Deenihan, progress is continuing to be made on this issue. “That is vital, as Ireland is at risk of daily fines of up to €25,000 if we fail to preserve raised bogs that are protected by Irish and European law,” he pointed out. “I want to thank the turf cutters who are working with me and my Department.”
A review of all raised bog Natural Heritage Areas (NHAs) is underway and is “making good progress”.
A European Union directive requires that Ireland must ban turf-cutting on certain bogs. The government agreed a compensation scheme with turf cutters, but there have been a number of protests over the issue.
In June, turf cutters in Roscommon and Galway cut turf despite the ban, with the PRO for the Turf Cutters and Contractors Association, Deputy Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan, saying they were vindicating their rights in doing so.
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The general of the presidential guard was going to lose his job and was not happy about it. Calling this high treason is ironic when he is the one who did a coup against a democratically elected president and government. The coup is high treason.
@ForrestG45: Yes, it is, in this case, and in every other case. But at some point (I’m not talking about this one), if someone is committing treason or doing something so bad, like declaring war when the people don’t want it, or malnutrition its people, kind of like Kim Jong Un, then only by committing treason you can depose a tyrant. The people in power write the laws and defines treason.
This should be done here with the current cabinet.
Am sure some democracy bombs will sort them out. Just like Libya.
Under the Bazoum ‘democracy’ the natural resources were taken by France under the guns of the French and US military. Bazoum was handsomely rewarded for this treachory while the people of (name of country censored) go hungry. This coup was carried out without a single death because it had he support of the people of (name of country censored).
@Fearg: (name of country censored)? NIGER is the name of the country it’s clearly not sensored so why claim it is?.
@Fearg: I think you will find that resources were bought with hard currency rather that ‘taken’ (stolen) as you suggest
@donal O’brien: They were not bought they were taken. French companies own the mines. Niger only gets 14% of the value of what France takes. 1 in every 3 houses in France is powered by uranium from Niger while 90% of Niger’s population don’t even have electricity.
The people of Niger are 100% correct to take back the resources from any western nation that claims them and charge a fair price for them. Will the military junta do that remains to be seen but that’s nothing to do with us
@Roy Dowling: incorrect. Less than 10% of Niger’s uranium is used in French nuclear plants. France and the EU have diversified their supply in the last while to counter such risks, with the likes of Kazakhstan, Canada and soon Uzbekistan.
@ForrestG45: sorry meant less than 10% of uranium used in French nuclear plants is coming from Niger.
Any chance of a report on the voter fraud operation in Michigan that was operating during the 2020 election? A paid election worker has been indicted after she registered approx 10,000 dubious voters. That was in one Michigan county. She was also operating in several other Michigan counties.
Plus she was part of a larger team of paid election operatives.
@Monetpenny: She was operating in several different counties at once? Right. Is she there with you now?
@F Fitzgerald. Yes she was. She didn’t perform the miracle of bi-location but you do understand people can operate on different counties at the same time? I have a friend who is a business rep for Kerry, Limerick & Clare. That is possible. It doesn’t mean he is in the same county at the same time nor does his employer expect him to be in the three counties at the same time.
Perhaps if the Journal did a report on it you might understsnd.
have your say