Turf Cutting
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-19
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Louis O'Hara (SF), Galway East

In early 2025, a local turf cutting contractor was served with a High Court injunction to cease the harvesting of turf. As a result of this action, many local people who rely on turf to heat their homes were left without a supply for last winter. As we are currently in the turf cutting season, these families are facing the same issue due to the fact that there is no contractor to cut their turf because the injunction remains in place. Approximately 40 families are affected. What is happening is causing significant distress. Many of them are elderly. They have cut turf in these bogs for years, rely on this fuel to heat their homes, are watching their supplies dwindle and have no affordable alternative. Under the existing legislation, the families could be allowed to harvest the turf if the Minister of State signed an order. On behalf of the affected families, I ask him to do that or, at the very least, to meet with them, discuss the issue and try to find a resolution to it. I cannot emphasise enough the distress that this is causing and the anger that is felt by these families, who have not signed up to the scheme the Minister of State mentioned earlier.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-19/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:46+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-19