McConalogue reiterates Nature Restoration assurance
- Published on: 18 June 2024
- Last updated on: 12 April 2025
Following adoption of the Nature Restoration Law (NRL) by the European Council, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue reiterated his assurance to farmers that all nature restoration measures will be voluntary.
The Minister said:
“This government, and I through my position on the AgriFish Council, secured additional flexibilities in the legal text of the NRL to both support farmers and to recognise our specific Irish circumstances. As a result of this intervention, the targets for restoration and rewetting of drained organic soils have been reduced from the original proposal. This means the total area for restoration now targets 50% of such area by 2050, rather than 70% as originally proposed, with a third to be rewetted, rather than a half. In addition, other flexibilities have been secured including an emergency break provision to suspend implementation in agriculture in the event of circumstances with severe consequences on food security."
Commenting on the targets set under the NRL, the Minister clarified that:
“The legal obligation to achieve NRL targets is on the Member States not individual landowners. NRL targets for rewetting of drained organic soils are proportional to the national figure and these national figures were just recently recalculated by the EPA. This change, that revises the figure downwards from 332,900ha to 141,000ha, accounts for drained organic soils that have rewetted naturally. With the existing national commitments to rewet 33,000ha of Bord na Móna lands, these lands are sufficient to deliver the NRL rewetting targets without recourse to privately owned land to 2050. This fact is a strong reassurance to farmers that there will be no obligatory requirement on farmers to rewet land due to the NRL.”
The Minister continued:
“I also want to be very clear that restoration measures will not negatively impact any existing CAP commitment, or any other scheme or incentive delivered by my department. This was confirmed by Commissioner Sinkevicius. Any restoration measures that landowners choose to participate in will be voluntary, well incentivised, and resourced.
"Ireland has already announced a €3.15 billion Climate and Nature Fund to support implementation. Farmers are committed to biodiversity and it is only right that they are provided with very strong funding separate to CAP to ensure that they are rewarded for any actions that they might voluntarily contribute to.”
Notes
Nature Restoration Law restoration and rewetting targets for drained organic soils
In March 2024, the EPA revised the national inventory figure downwards from 332,900ha to 141,000ha. This change accounts for drained organic soils that have rewetted naturally. Nature Restoration Law (NRL) agreed target reductions for restoration and rewetting under Article 9(4) were reduced during trilogue to the following:
a) 30% of such areas by 2030, of which at least a quarter shall be rewetted;
b) 40% of such areas by 2040, of which at least a third shall be rewetted;
c) 50% of such areas by 2050, of which at least a third shall be rewetted.
These targets would result in the following land area requirements nationally:
| Estimated national cover (141,000ha) | 2030 | 2040 | 2050 | |||
| Restoration (ha) | 42,300 | 56,400 | 70,500 | |||
| Of Which: Rewetting (ha) | 10,575 | 18,800 | 23,500 |
With an existing national commitment in the Climate Action Plan 2024 to rewet 33,000ha of Bord na Móna lands, these lands are sufficient to deliver rewetting targets without recourse to privately owned land.