Peat may be harvested from smaller bogs in bid to ‘save thousands of jobs’

Government looking at plan to extract peat from bogs of less than 30 hectares to supply domestic horticulture industry

The government is now looking at the possibility of extracting peat from smaller bogs of less than 30 hectares which is legally possible. Picture: Getty

The government is working on a new plan for peat harvesting in smaller bogs amid concern about the future of thousands of jobs in the horticulture industry.

Tensions had been raised in the coalition since Regina Doherty, the Fine Gael senator, and Robbie Gallagher, a Fianna Fáil senator, brought forward their own private bill to allow for the resumption of peat harvesting on larger bogs to supply the Irish horticulture industry.

This upset the Green ...