Bord na Móna operates under IPC Licence issued and administered by the EPA to extract peat within the Kilberry Bog Group (Ref. P0506-01)
The Kilberry Bog Group IPC Licensed area is made up of five bog areas (Allen (Mouds), Gilltown, Kilberry,
Prosperous and Ummeras) most of which were in active milled peat production up to 2019. These bogs primarily supplied horticultural peat with some fuel peat. Fuel peat was transported to other Bord na Móna facilities, depending on market demand. Bogs that have been in milled peat production for decades have been slowly becoming cutaway as horticultural peat is extracted from the individual bog areas.
Industrial peat production history varies across the Kilberry Bog group, so there is a wide range of residual peat depths present. The majority of the bogs have been in active peat production until recently and are bare peat, and a small proportion has become cutaway. Kilberry Bog has had a long peat production history that has focused on horticultural peat production. Cutaway areas where the more acidic horticultural peat has been harvested still have relatively deep peat reserves, as much of the fuel peat at this site has not been utilised. Ummeras and Mouds Bog both have areas where horticultural peat has been completely harvested and fuel peat was also harvested.
Prosperous and Gilltown have a much younger milled-peat production history and more acidic peat is still present in the upper levels of these sites. More acidic peat can lead to the development of Heather dominated communities in places or where it is wet, Sphagnum-rich vegetation (embryonic peat forming communities) can establish. Examples of these types of communities can be seen at Kilberry. The rehabilitation plan for the Kilberry Bog Group encompasses all areas involved in industrial peat production including milled peat production areas and associated facilities.
A breakdown of the component bog areas for the Kilberry Bog Group IPC License Ref. P0506-01 is outlined in
Table Ap-2.
