ICSA president Sean McNamara has said Minister Heydon's attempts to downplay the significance of a recent meeting on rewetting and "reduced management intensity" of 80,000 hectares under Ireland's Climate Action Plan have done little to reassure farmers. "Trust in the government is at breaking point after farming organisations were excluded from this meeting, and anger and frustration is now mounting among farmers who fear they will be hit with yet more restrictions on how they farm peaty soils," he said.

"The prospect of yet more restrictions on farmers – on top of the GAEC 2 amendments and everything the Nature Restoration Law could bring – is leaving farmers increasingly fearful that they will be driven out of business altogether. The margins in farming are already so tight, and if we continue down this path of relentless restrictions, the chances of anyone making a viable living from farming will dwindle to nothing."

 Mr McNamara said the serious issues of land devaluation and the need for proper compensation must be central to the discussion. "Land affected by these restrictions will see its value plummet and it won't be only this generation that is impacted. Who is going to compensate farmers for that?

 It must be remembered that under the current GAEC 2 approach, entire LPIS parcels are being designated as peatland even when only a small fraction actually consists of peat soils. This means mineral soils are being unfairly caught up in GAEC 2 restrictions, all of which will limit agricultural activities, reduce productivity, and devalue land."

 In addition, he said there is no clear indication of just how far the government plans to take all this. "The concern is that in a few years' time, farmers working peatlands and surrounding mineral soils may find themselves unable to farm at all. We've already seen with the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) that once land is forested, it can never return to agricultural use. The danger is that we are heading in exactly the same direction with these new designations."

 Mr McNamara said that farmers must be included in every discussion about their land and their future ability to farm. "Farmers cannot be sidelined from decisions that directly impact them. Furthermore, there must be full transparency and proper scrutiny of the rationale behind these policies. On one hand, we hear about the importance of food security and generational renewal, and on the other, we face this relentless push to restrict, reduce, and essentially remove farmers from the land."

 He said, first and foremost, he is calling on Minister Heydon to reconsider the inclusion of mineral soils under GAEC 2, as its original intent was to apply specifically to peatlands and wetlands. "Farmers can see the overreach on this issue happening before their eyes, and trust has been broken. This process of reaching our climate goals must be built on a foundation of fairness. If trust is to be restored, meaningful farmer engagement must be at the core of decision-making."