Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM)

EIA Reports in three mandatory categories for assessment

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AIE Request, 26/5/23

Under the AIE Regs to request the following:

A full environmental impact assessment report is needed to determine whether certain works listed can proceed. Current thresholds where these reports are mandatory are

1) 4km for hedgerow removal
2) 50ha for land drainage works

3) 50ha for taking uncultivated/semi-natural land into intensive use

Please provide EIA reports as submitted to DAFM for 2021, 2022 and 2023 YTD in each of the three categories

For context, please note the following article

https://www.farmersjournal.ie/review-begins-of-hedgerow-removal-and-land-drainage-rules-766973

Afforesting and reafforesting sites with deep peat

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Department: Agriculture, Food and the Marine

If the Minister will not accept the UN recommendation for countries to leave untouched all peat soils of 10cm depth rather than afforesting and reafforesting sites with peat depths of 30cm, 40cm, and even 50cm peat [Written Answer 26/04/2023 Question Number(s): 135 Question Reference(s): 19661/23], can he at least assure the Deputy that he will end afforestation or reafforestation on peat soils of a greater depth than 15cm, given that his Government itself has published as part of the EU Green Deal ‘Keeping Ireland Green: 12 Stories about the EU and Ireland’s Environment’ with an introduction by Minister Ryan in which it is stated in Section 9 ‘A climate change solution beneath our feet’ that ‘It is estimated that a 15cm thick layer of peat contains more carbon per hectare than a tropical forest.’

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2023-04-26/135/#pq-answers-135

Click to access EU_green_deal_EN_01.pdf

Drafts versions of the Forestry Licencing Regulatory Review

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Project Woodland Initiative


AIE-23-093-Decision-LetterDownload
AIE-23-93-ScheduleDownload
Project-Woodland-Regulatory-Review-Report-June-2022Download
Project-Woodland-Regulatory-Review-Report-Final-22.06.22Download
Project-Woodland-Regulatory-Review-Report-05.04.22Download
Regulatory-Review_Draft-Philip-Lee-report-10.03.22Download
2022.04.01-Draft-Regulatory-Review-Report_issuedDownload
Environmental-Law-Reference-Report-Alice-Whittaker-Philip-Lee-LLP-2Download

Minutes of EPA Liaison Groups, Annual Reports and DAFM/EPA Data Sharing Agreement

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OEA AIE 2023 03

Minutes and agendas of meetings for 2022 and 2023 YTD for the following committees:
a. DAHG (NPWS) / EPA Liaison Group
i. There were no meetings under the MOU between EPA/NPWS during 2022, 2023 to date.
b. OPW / EPA Liaison Group
i. There were no meetings under the MOU between EPA/OPW during 2022, 2023 to date.
c. DAFM / EPA Liaison Group
i. There were no meetings under the MOU between EPA/DAFM during 2022, 2023 to date.

Copies of all data sharing agreements agreed as between EPA and the three other public bodies
a. There is no formal EPA/OPW data sharing agreement, data are shared on request
b. There is no formal EPA/DAHG data sharing agreement; there is a joint work programme for sampling saltmarsh communities for WFD, the data from which are shared.
c. A formal data sharing agreement between EPA/DAFM is attached.

Open Data Request: Whether DAFM’s decision to refuse the appellant’s request for re-use of EIA screenings for felling licences was in compliance with the Regulations

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Decision of the Information Commissioner in his capacity as Appeal Commissioner on an appeal made under Regulation 12 of the European Union (Open Data and Re-use of Public Sector Information) Regulations 2021 (the Regulations)

Case RPSI/22/05

AppealCommissionerDecisionRPSI.22.05Download

DAFM: whether the Department was justified in refusing the appellant’s request on the basis that no information within the scope of that request is held by or for it

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Case: OCE-119758-L8R2B8

Note: Para 17 bullet point 2 is the interesting one. If the AIE section does not have access to the relevant information the onus falls on the other key personnel

OCEI-Decision-23March2023-signedDMcGoldrickDownload

DAFM AIE Refusals based on Herd Number and/or Herd Location

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AIE/23/085 Appealed to OCEI

Register of cattle herds with over 500 cattle per head, to include the herd number and location of each cattle farm

011Internalreviewdecision240322Download

AAIE/23/050 Appealed to OCEI

Herd number and location of derogation farms in the Electoral District of Dripsey, Cork in 2021

RTK-AAIE23050Download

AIE 23075 Internal Review

Register of poultry flocks with over 10000 / 40000 birds

AIE-AIE23075-Part-Grant-letterDownload

AAIE/23/074 Internal Review

Pig farms with over 1000 pigs

Final-response-AIE-23-074Download