Peatland Management

We operate our peat production activities under nine Integrated Pollution Prevention Control licences regulated and enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency.

IPPC

Bord na Móna Feedstock’s production activities both for fuel and horticulture peat are currently the only IPPC licensed peat production activities in Ireland. These licences are in operation since 2000 and cover all of our activities in the Shannon, Barrow, Nore, Suir, Boyne, Liffey and Oweninny River catchments. Each IPPC Licence contains 14 conditions relating to emissions to water, air and land. Under these licences, emission limit values are set and are regulated and enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency

EPA

Bord na Móna submits an Annual Environmental Report to the EPA in March each year covering its activities in

Littleton (P0400-01)
Boora (P0500-01)
Derrygreenagh (P0501-01)
Blackwater (P0502-01)
Allen (P0503-01)
Mountdillon (P0504-01)
Oweninny (P0505-01)
Kilberry (P0506-01)
Cuil na Mona (P0507-01)

These reports are available to download from the EPA website

Code of Practice for Responsible Peatland Management

The European Peat and Growing Media Association (EPAGMA) represents peat and growing media companies across Europe. Bord na Móna has adopted and implemented the principles and commitments contained in EPAGMA’s Code of Practice for Responsible Peatland Management. The Code confirms our compliance with legislation governing habitats, environmental planning, and pollution prevention and control, reinforces our commitment to excellent environmental practices in peat production, and defines the principles governing the after-use of our peat production areas. Finally, in 2009 we joined the Energy Agreements Programme and began the implementation of the EN16001 Energy Management System to complement our existing environmental management system.

Peatlands and greenhouse gases

Intact and undrained peatlands represent a considerable store of carbon, which has accumulated over the last 8,000 – 10,000 years. Once a peatland is drained, and the level of the watertable reduced, the stored carbon is broken down by microbial oxidation and fugitive emissions of CO₂ are released to the atmosphere.

The production of milled peat, and the use of peat as an energy source, greatly enhances the rate of carbon loss. Once a peatland area has been drained and developed, the only way to limit carbon emissions is to re-flood the area and bring the watertable back up to the surface.

This will reduce the loss of carbon dioxide, but will increase the level of methane emitted, another greenhouse gas with 23 times the global warming impact of CO₂. It also confines the future use of the area to that of a wetland/fen. On the other hand, removing as much peat as possible from the area means that the cutaway peatlands have the widest potential for future land use.