Peat soils cover 1.5m hectares or 21% of the country’s land surface, Dr Pat Tuohy of Teagasc outlined at an IFA meeting in Athlone last week.

“Peat is the accumulation of organic matter where high rainfall or impeded drainage causes waterlogging. Saturation or waterlogging go hand in hand with peat,” he said.

Of this 1.5m hectares, 28% is in agriculture, 18% is natural, 31% is domestic cutover, 17% is afforested and 6% is industrial.

While peatlands are found nationwide, they are predominately located in the midlands and west.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data shows that there are around 340,000ha of grasslands on peat soils.

Of this figure, 140,000ha are deemed to be drained and 200,000ha are deemed to be rewetted, he outlined.

The drainage status of peat soils under grassland is based on water table depth, Tuohy said. He then outlined the definitions of drained and rewetted soils:

  • Drained: these are peat grassland soils where the average annual water table depth is greater than 30cm below the surface.
  • Rewetted: where the average annual water table depth is less than 30cm below the surface.