State plan to cope with oil spill being formulated, says Noonan

Vivienne Clarke

Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, has said that discussions are ongoing with a variety of State agencies, including the National Parks and Wildlife Service, with a view to formulating a national wildlife plan in the event of a major oil spill.

Speaking on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland, Mr Noonan was responding to a question about the progress following an oil spill two weeks ago which affected beaches in Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford and killed over 50 birds.

There was an ongoing investigation, but so far the source of the oil spill had not yet been identified, he said.

“But I want to commend Kildare Wildlife Rescue and other rescue organisations, including Birdwatch Ireland, for the work they have done. We have put in some additional emergency funding to the National Parks and Wildlife Service to support that work.

“The investigation is ongoing, and I think it's important that we do find the source of it, because I think that it's important that investigations lead to sanctions as well. But separately, I think the important thing is to clean up. I think the support we've given to them has been important as well.”

An issue with accessing the promised €50,000 emergency support for the clean up will be resolved this week, he said.

Nature Restoration Law

Noonan has described efforts by some countries to weaken the EU’s Nature Restoration Law as making a mockery of the democratic process.

“This restoration law is vital for our nature in Europe. So this is the vital piece of the jigsaw to build in climate resilience, to fight against climate change, to look at the challenges we've seen right across Europe, from heat stress, from flooding, failed crops to regional, it is the only game in town.”

When asked about the thin majority by which the law was passed, Mr Noonan said it had been a majority “nonetheless” and compromises had been made to ensure it was “workable.”

Mr Noonan said he and officials had a very positive meeting with the IFA last week.

“There's no concerns here in, in relation to it. We certainly allayed a lot of that, but I think that can be done across Europe. Each individual country has its opportunity to develop its own nature restoration plan. And within that context, they work within and with organisations and with farmers, landowners and all other stakeholders to develop their own plans.

This was the driving mechanism to restore nature at scale across Europe. “And if it does come down to the case where the Council of Ministers don't support it I think we're in real trouble. Ireland will proceed anyway. We've already committed to a nature restoration plan and we will go ahead with that.

"But it needs to happen on a European scale. It's too important for our food security, for rural communities, for climate and for public health and wellbeing. So it can't fail. And I think it's vitally important that leadership is shown at the Council of Ministers on June 17th.

“Ireland continues to show leadership. There are thousands of farmers working on nature restoration of water quality and climate targets right across the country as we speak. And I think in that regard, what we are seeing, particularly that we can show at scale where the projects work”.