We’re well into the 11th hour when it comes to meeting our EU environment targets, yet the government remains asleep at the wheel, according to Social Democrats environment spokesperson Jennifer Whitmore.
Deputy Whitmore said:
“It is now all but inevitable that Ireland will face billions in EU fines for not meeting its legally binding environmental targets by 2030, yet the government is in no hurry to give us a fighting chance.
“The European Environment Agency’s State of Europe’s Environment report is a damning indictment of successive governments’ environmental inaction.
“The EEA has criticised the quality of our waterways, waste management, and our high volume of fossil fuel usage – all problems which have worsened as a result of government policies.
“85% of our protected habitats are now considered to have an unfavourable status, while one third of our protected species have received the same label – horrifically, over half of native plant species are in decline and more than 50 bird species are of high conservation concern.
“We cannot afford to lose any more species than we already have – the knock-on effect of biodiversity loss is catastrophic for all facets of life.
“Today, I’m visiting the site of August’s fish kill in the River Blackwater, County Cork, where up to 42,000 fish died as a result of an unknown pollutant – this event is emblematic of the government’s approach towards environmental protection.
“Last week, a multi-agency report said the cause of the fish kill cannot be identified – I’m meeting local anglers today to assess the effects of the kill on the local community.
“Meanwhile, Ireland’s nitrate derogation has resulted in the nitrate levels in our rivers jumping by a staggering 16 percent in the first six months of this year – this is disastrous for our water quality and biodiversity.
“Despite our awareness of this issue, the government refuses to plan for any alternative future without the derogation, leaving farmers and rural communities in complete uncertainty.
“Ireland’s transition from a linear to a circular economy has never been taken seriously by the State – our plastic recycling rates, for example, are shockingly low at 30%, lagging behind the EU target of 50% – this is a direct result of poor policy decisions, a lack of enforcement, and chronic underfunding.
“It is the opinion of the Environmental Protection Agency that it is already too late for us to meet our 2025 EU recycling targets – lessons must be learned from these failings.
“Environmental policy must be front-footed to preserve nature in Ireland – Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have been playing catch-up for years now, allowing the health of our countryside and waterways to degrade at an alarming rate.
“The government must comply with the EEA’s report and introduce urgent, large-scale measures that go beyond the weak plans and policies that have left us in this mess.
“The average EU spending per country on environmental protection measures in the last five years was 2.2% of GDP, but Ireland’s expenditure was just 0.9% – Budget ‘26 must allocate greater funding towards environmental initiatives to ensure this disaster does not become irreversible.
“The EEA report says that the government is trading Ireland’s environmental health for economic growth – no amount of financial gain is worth destroying our environment for.”
September 29th, 2025