"Swift action" is needed to stop large-scale illegal peat extraction, the Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC) has said.

The IPCC said that "over 80% of Irish peatland habitat has been cutaway and degraded by human activity".  

"Peatlands offer us many ecosystem services including being the largest store of terrestrial carbon and a haven for biodiversity," the IPCC said.

The council spoke following the publication of the recommendations regarding illegal peat extraction from the Joint Committee on Climate, Environment and Energy.

'Swift action'

The IPCC said it welcomes the recommendations, but "encourages swift action towards the next phase" of presenting the recommendations to the Houses of the Oireachtas "ensuring the momentum for change continues".  

In December, the Oireachtas committee met to discuss the issue of illegal commercial peat extraction.

The committee heard from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the IPCC, along with representatives from Westmeath County Council and Offaly County Council.

In the report following those engagements, Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí, cathaoirleach of the committee, said: "Illegal commercial peat extraction is having a detrimental effect on Ireland’s biodiversity and undermining progress toward our climate targets."

The recommendations also followed the publication of results from an EPA report in June 2025 that highlighted 38 large-scale peat extraction operators across seven counties were operating outside planning and environmental law.

The IPCC cautioned that the illegal peat extraction operations "do not relate to extraction of peat as a domestic fuel".  

Commercial operators

The recommendations of the Oireachas committee are welcomed by the IPCC "as they propose to introduce legislative changes requiring commercial operators to prove lawful provenance for peat offered for sale or export".

"Traceability obligations for retailers and importers alongside harsher punishments for those found to be exporting illegally extracted peat have also been recommended."

The IPCC said it is "aware that amendments to legislation, as recommended, may take some time".

However, it said it is "also are very concerned that as the later spring and summer months approach, these illegal large-scale peat operations will continue for another year".

"Illegal peat extraction operations should not be accepted or allowed to continue for another year," the IPCC said.

It is also encouraging the public to "help by choosing peat-free in their gardens", and to "report concerns about large-scale peat development in your local community to your local authority".