Latest news with #EUHabitatsDirective
Irish Examiner
25-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Industrial-scale Mussel farm is ‘completely incompatible' with Kinsale Harbour, campaigners say
Campaigners are calling on the minister for agriculture and the marine to revoke a licence for a 23 hectare industrial-scale mussel farm in Kinsale Harbour, directly in front of the popular Dock Beach. Health, environmental, and economic concerns for the locality have been raised, along with fears that it may jeopardise access to one of the town's most popular beaches and surrounding water used for swimming, kayaking and sailing. The licence should be revoked pending a full Environmental Impact Assessment, a marine navigation risk study, a cultural heritage survey, and a social and economic impact analysis, campaigners say. A licence was granted in May to Waterford-based Woodstown Bay Shellfish Ltd for bottom-culture mussel farming using dredging across a zone long used by swimmers, kayakers, sailors, and crab fishers. No marine safety or navigational impact assessment has been conducted, campaigners say. The proximity to a wastewater treatment facility lacking UV disinfection further raises serious sanitary concerns under EU directives, they say. They are appealing for Minister Martin Heydon to revoke the licence, which they say was granted on highly flawed grounds. The window for appeals closes this week. And while the industrial mussel farm is expected to create some six new jobs, the town is heavily reliant on its €70m annual tourism economy, which campaigners say the mussel farm may jeopardise. Appeals have been submitted to the Aquaculture Licence Appeals Board (ALAB), citing legal, ecological, economic, and procedural grounds. The licence should be revoked pending a full Environmental Impact Assessment, a marine navigation risk study, a cultural heritage survey, and a social and economic impact analysis, campaigners say. Picture: Eddie O'Hare 'This farm is completely incompatible with the heritage, ecology, and economy of Kinsale Harbour,' said local environmental advocate Dr Marc Ó Riain. 'We're asking minister Heydon to exercise his authority to revoke this licence in the public interest.' Under Section 7.3 of the Fisheries (Amendment) Act, the Minister may revoke a licence if it is deemed contrary to the public interest — a clause now being urgently invoked by campaigners. Protected seagrass beds, a priority habitat under the EU Habitats Directive which play a vital role in marine biodiversity and carbon capture, have been found recently in the proposed dredging area but this was not reflected in the original environmental screening, they say. 'There was no Environmental Impact Assessment. The data relied on is over six years old,' said one appeal letter submitted to ALAB. 'This violates the precautionary principle of EU law.' The site is also adjacent to the 17th-century James Fort, a designated national monument, and the remains of a historic blockhouse at the mouth of the Bandon River. No underwater archaeological survey was undertaken — a 'serious procedural omission' according to one submission, potentially placing unrecorded heritage at risk. The area is one of Ireland's busiest mixed-use harbours, with sailing schools, kayak tours, angling trips, and marine wildlife excursions operating daily. The site overlaps traditional crab pot grounds, and no alternative fishing areas or mitigation measures have been proposed, campaigners say. Appeals also raised the danger of mussel larvae clogging raw water intakes on leisure and commercial vessels — a hazard which can cause overheating and engine failure. A decision from the Appeals Board is expected later this year. Read More Watch: Mussel Farm protest in Kinsale Harbour
Irish Independent
17-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Public consultation opens on new Drumconrath recreational development in Meath
The project, titled the Drumconrath Recreational Space and Enterprise Building, is designed to revitalise the underutilised site by delivering a mix of community-focused recreational facilities and local enterprise opportunities. The proposed development includes extensive site preparation, drainage improvements, and landscaping to transform the area into a vibrant and accessible public space. Recreational amenities will feature a 3x3 half basketball court, two outdoor table tennis courts, children's chute slides, and outdoor fitness equipment. The design also includes a network of granite-paved plaza areas, resin-bound gravel paths, local stone seating walls, timber-top benches, grass meadows, and newly planted trees. A key element of the project is the conservation and adaptive reuse of Drumconrath House, a protected structure located on the site. The building is set to be converted from a private dwelling into a community café on the ground floor, with the upper level redesigned to host business rooms that will support local economic activity. In addition to the new facilities, the proposal includes significant road safety improvements. These involve traffic calming measures such as speed bumps, upgraded junctions, and the installation of new roadside kerbing to ensure better safety and access for both pedestrians and vehicles. An Appropriate Assessment Screening has been carried out under the EU Habitats Directive, with Meath County Council concluding that the development poses no significant environmental impact. As such, a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is not required. Plans for the development are available for public consultation until July 9, 2025 at Meath County Council's Planning Department in Navan and at the Municipal District Office in Kells. They are also available online at under Part 8 Reference PT8/MH254. Meanwhile submissions or observations regarding the project must be received by Wednesday, July 23, 2025 via the online portal or in writing to the council.
Euronews
03-06-2025
- Business
- Euronews
EU faces new legal action over bottom trawling in protected areas
EU leaders are facing a fresh legal complaint over widespread destructive fishing practices like bottom trawling in marine protected areas (MPAs). The lawyers behind it say that continuing to permit this activity goes against the bloc's core nature laws and puts the ocean and people in grave danger. Bottom trawling is a destructive fishing practice which involves dragging a net - some so large it could fit a Boeing 747 plane - across the seafloor to catch fish. It disturbs sediment, destroys marine habitats and far more than just the target species gets caught in these nets. The complaint is being brought to the European Commission by a coalition of non-profit organisations: ClientEarth, Oceana, Seas at Risk and Danmarks Naturfredningsforening. It points out persistent instances of unchallenged bottom trawling in three countries: Denmark, the Netherlands and Spain. The challenge claims that destructive fishing practices in MPAs in these member states flout the EU Habitats Directive and calls on EU officials to launch infringement action against the countries in question. The Habitats Directive requires Natura 2000 MPAs - the most important network of marine protected areas in Europe - to be protected from any activity likely to significantly affect the integrity of the site. 'Legally speaking, bottom trawling in protected areas is not legal, and if policymakers don't live up to their obligations, we will bring them before court,' says Tobias Troll, marine policy director from Seas at Risk. ClientEarth ocean lawyer John Condon adds that 'urgent action' is needed at the EU level to confirm that bottom trawling is against EU law, alongside an 'immediate response' from governments. This legal challenge is the latest in a string of litigation across the EU over bottom trawling in MPAs. Individual national cases have so far been launched in France, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden and Germany. In April, another group of NGOs filed a similar legal complaint with the EU, alleging breaches of the EU Habitats Directive by Italy, France and Germany. 'This complaint, and others like it, reveal a systemic problem across Europe and one that member states have failed to address for years now, contrary to their legal obligations under EU law,' explains Nicolas Fournier, campaign director for marine protection at Oceana in Europe. The new legal challenge also comes hot off the heels of a crucial judgment from the EU's General Court in May, which confirmed that protected areas must be protected from potentially harmful practices like bottom trawling. The Commission concluded that countries have every right under EU law to ban damaging fishing methods like this in vulnerable marine areas. Some EU countries, like Greece and Sweden, have already announced plans for national legislation to ban bottom trawling in protected areas within their territories. The EU's 2023 Marie Action Plan calls on member states to phase out bottom trawling in all MPAs by 2030. But recent research from NGOs Oceana, Seas At Risk and ClientEarth revealed that no EU country currently has a comprehensive plan in place to phase out destructive fishing practices in these protected areas. And a study published in March this year by Pristine Seas found that around 60 per cent of these vulnerable marine areas in the EU are currently being trawled. With the UN set to host its Ocean Conference in Nice, France, on 9 June and the EU expected to release its strategy to promote a sustainable and competitive blue economy in the next few days, pressure is mounting for more comprehensive ocean protection. Campaigns calling for action on destructive fishing practices in the EU have been backed by fishermen and hundreds of thousands of Europeans. 'The world is waiting for leaders at UNOC to defend the ocean, and make sure protected genuinely means protected,' adds noted MPA defender and founder of the Mediterranean Conservation Society, Zafer Kızılkaya. 'Fishers depend on it - communities depend on it - the world depends on it.'
Daily Mirror
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Brown bears to become legal source of meat in bid to stop attacks on humans
Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico approved plans to shoot 350 of the country's 1,300 brown bears in response to some fatal attacks. The meat will be sold for human consumption Controversial plans to slaughter brown bears and sell the meat for human consumption will cause "immense suffering", according to leading animal groups. Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico approved plans to shoot 350 of the country's 1,300 brown bears in response to some recent fatal attacks. Brown bears, which are a protected species under EU law, will be sold to the public in a bid to "prevent waste", according to State Minister Filip Kuffa. 'We will supply every captured individual [bear] that meets the conditions for consumption,' he said this week in a social media post. "Because bear meat can be eaten', the ministry will 'offer caught specimens for sale,' he added. Despite the brown bear being listed as a "near threatened" species in the EU by the World Conservation Union, the move state-authoritised slaughter has been approved. After a man was mauled to death while working in a forest in Slovakia, Prime Minister Robert Fico said: "We can't live in a country where people are afraid to go into the woods." Slovakia reported a total of 54 bear attacks from 2000-2020, with the average number of attacks rising to around ten a year, according to the latest figures. PETA's Vice President of Programmes, Elisa Allen, criticised the move and said killing the bears will cause "immense suffering" She told The Mirror: "No one needs to eat bears, and bears don't wish to be eaten - they simply want to be left in peace. Humane, non-lethal solutions – including habitat management, bear-proof rubbish bins, and public education about bear-safe behaviours – have proven effective in addressing perceived wildlife issues, and authorities owe it to these sensitive, majestic animals to use them. "Killing bears risks orphaning cubs, causing immense suffering, and destabilising ecosystems. Rather than destroying and consuming the natural world, we must learn to live compatibly with other species." However, State Minister Mr Kuffa claimed it was "wasteful" the animals were being to a carcass disposal facilities, as he attempted to justify the meat sale. But the decision to cull the bears and sell them for human consumption been slammed by conservationists and opposition politicians. The World Wide Fund for Nature Slovakia called the culling and sale of meat "unacceptable." A spokesperson told The Mirror: "We are deeply concerned by the Slovak government's latest steps regarding the management of the brown bear population, including the recent approval of a mass cull and the reported allowance for the public sale of bear meat. 'WWF Slovakia underlines that brown bear is a protected species under EU Habitats Directive, Bern Convention, as well as CITES. The latest management measures are not only unacceptable from an ethical and environmental point of view, but they are also in direct conflict with European law and international treaties. 'The brown bear is a strictly protected species in Slovakia. Yet, we saw a record 144 bears killed in 2023 — the highest number in over 100 years. Despite this unprecedented culling, the number of human-bear conflicts has not decreased. This further confirms what science has already made clear: indiscriminate, large-scale culling does not reduce human-bear dangerous encounters. 'The Ministry of Environment, under the current government led by Prime Minister Robert Fico, continues to propose non-systemic, short-sighted solutions that fail to address the root causes of the issues. The proposal to kill another 350 bears could mean losing almost half of Slovakia's bear population in just two years – with no guarantee that this will make people safer. "Instead of turning Slovakia's protected wildlife into a menu item, the government should prioritize evidence-based prevention measures, such as: Better waste and food management in towns and villages near bear habitats, Removing baiting sites near settlements and hiking trails, Supporting measures to prevent bear attacks on livestock, supporting emergency response teams to deal with problematic bears, Placing warning signs in areas inhabited by bears and Educating people on how to behave safely in the wild. "We ask the Slovak government to stop these harmful measures and focus on long-term, responsible wildlife management. Allowing the sale of meat from a protected species like the brown bear is an unprecedented and concerning decision, which could lead to even more damage to wildlife being treated as products."
Agriland
21-05-2025
- Science
- Agriland
NPWS events to celebrate Irish Natura 2000 sites
Some of the country's most valuable sites for nature are being celebrated today (Wednesday, May 21) to mark Natura 2000 day. The Natura 2000 Network includes over 27,000 protected sites across the European Union, covering nearly 20% of Europe's land and almost 10% of its marine waters. It is the world's largest network of protected sites. Ireland is home to more than 600 Natura 2000 sites, which protect a wide range of valuable habitats and species under the EU Habitats Directive Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and the Birds Directive Special Protection Areas (SPAs) Natura 2000 To mark Natura 2000 day, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is supporting Bioblitzes and other events in Natura sites around the country. Bioblitzes bring together scientists and citizen scientists to record as many species as possible in a short time at a Natura 2000 site. During the week NPWS staff are hosting bioblitzes at sites including St Gobnet's Wood SAC in Co. Cork, Connemara National Park, Coole Park in Co. Galway, and Killarney National Park in Co. Kerry. Speaking on Natura 2000 Day, Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O'Sullivan encouraged members of the public to discover their local Natura 2000 site. 'The Natura 2000 network includes some of the finest examples of habitats and species we have in this country and in Europe. 'It is a network of protected sites which highlights the biodiverse and unique natural heritage in Ireland and in Europe. 'Conservation is a shared responsibility and today is an opportunity for everyone to learn about a site near you and how it is being managed and protected for future generations,' he said. Restoration The minister said that Natura 2000 Day is also an opportunity to recognise the restoration work that landowners and the NPWS are undertaking together on these sites. These include projects focused on actively restoring raised and blanket bog habitat designated as SACs under the Habitats Directive. Recent surveys are showing significant positive trends in respect of raised bog sites, which are beginning to move towards more favourable conservation condition. Old Oak woodland is being restored in Glen of the Downs SAC, Co. Wicklow by removing the invasive alien species Cherry Laurel, and Lapwing are being protected in Co. Mayo in the Termoncarragh lake and Annagh Machair SPA. Niall Ó Donnchú, director general with the NPWS, said the Natura 2000 network is 'a central part of our natural heritage in Ireland'. 'Many of the sites in the network in Ireland are in public ownership and are accessible, for example, our national parks, while other sites are in private ownership. 'The landowners and stakeholders in all the sites in Ireland are working together to protect and restore these vitally important habitats and species. 'Natura 2000 Day is a reminder of the diverse and unique natural heritage we have and can be proud of in Ireland,' he said.
