The Irish Farmers' Association - IFA

Lobbying Organisation The Irish Farmers' Association - IFA

Date published 18 Sep, 2026

Relevant Matter Public policy or programme

Public Policy Area Agriculture

Period 1 May. 2026 to 31 Aug. 2026

Specific Details Horticultural Peat Production

Intended results To request an urgent indepartmental meeting between the Department of Agriculture, food and the Marine, the Department of Housing, Local Government and heritage, and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications on the future of peat supply for horticulture. To highlight that the current policy direction which points towards the cessation of peat production presents a serious risk to the horticulture sector. Many growers remain reliant on peat, particularly in plant propagation and mushroom production where alternatives are not yet viable at scale. To highlight that the Government's Working Paper on peat supply for horticulture (2022) recognised the need for a coordinated approach and set out the importance of short, medium and long-term measures. It also highlighted that supply, regulation and environmental objectives must be addressed together. Since then, the situation has become more pressing. That the EPA report on large scale peat extraction (2025) points to ongoing enforcement issues and continued demand, which underlines the gap between policy direction and market reality. To highlight that industry evidence shows that a transitional supply of peat is still required. A sudden end to production would disrupt domestic horticulture, impact employment and increase reliance on imports. Previous policy work has already stated that any phase out must depend on the availability of viable alternatives. To stress that there is now a clear need for alignment across departments. Environmental goals must be balanced with the need to sustain domestic production during transition. To convene a pilot scheme with Local Authorities for peat extraction on sub 30 hectare peatlands. To highlight the need for review of the progress on alternative growing media and assess current barriers to adoption.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Val Farrell IFA IHNSA Chair, Niamh Brennan IFA Senior Policy Executive, Amy Mulchrone IFA Policy Executive

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Letter (2-5)

Meeting (1)

Email (2-5)

Informal communication (2-5)

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Barry Cassidy Special Adviser (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)

Brian Purcell Adviser to Minister (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)

Martin Heydon Minister (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)

Aindrias Moynihan TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

William Aird TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Peter 'Chap' Cleere TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Joe Cooney TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Michael Fitzmaurice TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Danny Healy-Rae TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Martin Kenny TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Paul Lawless TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Natasha Newsome Drennan TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Victor Boyhan Senator (Seanad)

Paraic Brady Senator (Seanad)

Joanne Collins Senator (Seanad)

Paul Daly Senator (Seanad)

Eileen Lynch Senator (Seanad)