We've created a huge incubator for deadly antibiotic resistant bacteria but neither SF or DUP will vote for measures to curb it because they both want votes from farmers.

Valuable new research shows the impact of the 120 Irish fishing boats that practice bottom trawling in European waters. These boats spent 160,000 hours dragging nets along the seafloor releasing 3.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

"Scientists surveying the area found three times more seabed organisms and twice as many species compared to nearby unprotected waters" news.mongabay.com/short-articl...

"the instinct seems to be to negotiate the penalties rather than take the necessary action" The EU tales Ireland to court... again, for failing to comply with environmental laws www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

Should a local view be more important than the poisoning of local waters with human and animal waste? I've been looking at the case of Kilkee in county Clare www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...

LIFE has been responsible for some of the greatest conservation success stories across Europe, including Ireland. But now the EU want's to scrap it as a stand alone funding source in the name of 'simplification' www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

During biodiversity week next week I'll be in Trim Co Meath talking all things nature so please come along! biodiversityweek.ie/event/protec...

🚨 Landmark ruling for Europe’s oceans A Dutch court has ruled that destructive #BottomTrawling can no longer take place in the Dutch #DoggerBank #MPA without proper permits & envi assessments. This is a major breakthrough for marine protection in Europe! oceanographicmagazine.com/news/dutch-c...

Strong evidence that forestry policy continues to fail despite throwing money at the problem www.independent.ie/farming/news...

We just won a landmark case to protect one of Europe’s most important marine sanctuaries: the Dogger Bank. 💫 The court ruling sets a precedent for governments across Europe and sends a clear message: protected must mean protected.

Quite the spin to frame it this way. There's been a dramatic reduction in all planting since 1993 while forestry remains dominated by Sitka spruce and other exotic conifers. www.agriland.ie/farming-news...

"This is a landmark legal ruling for ocean protection, which is set to make waves across Europe. The Dutch court has unequivocally confirmed that bottom trawling in protected areas cannot be ignored" Fantastic news from the Netherlands! oceanographicmagazine.com/news/dutch-c...

Setting fire to large swathes of land = rural pursuit apparently.

This is why Irish uplands are treeless and lifeless. European taxpayers subsidise this.

Reckless burning is still an issue. It is incorrect to say that "controlled burning of land is a common practice in rural settings" when it is extremely rare. We've seen too little change to upland farm policy to counter the threat from fires and so on it goes 🔥 www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

🔴 NEW: Gulf Royal Family Banks Over €70 Million in EU Farming Funds 📝 By @clarecarlile.bsky.social @polpareja.bsky.social & Alina Mihai A collaboration with @theguardian.com @eldiario.es & G4Media www.desmog.com/2026/05/06/g...

I was asked for my thoughts on Attenborough turning 100 - he has shown that the time to give up is never www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/ar...

I talked to RTÉ's Behind the Story podcasts about hills, sheep, forestry, national parks and the latest report on the need for nature restoration 👇 www.rte.ie/radio/podcas...

Wrapping up two talks in Dingle about Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara which was 'declared' two years ago. It's was nice to talk openly and honestly about the challenges and opportunities for this area...

Yesterday @whittledaway.bsky.social & 2 staff from @npwsireland.bsky.social spoke about the new Marine National Park. (Part of #FnaB26) While there was lots to give out about, the mood was positive. The room was full - with the diversity of people @liamquaidetd.bsky.social is talking about.

I don't understand how the Irish government can claim it has protected the sea when it so plainly hasn't. www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

How many plans do we need? How many reports need to be written? How many 'public consultations' and 'stakeholder forums' are needed? We know what needs to be done and who needs to do it but action from the government remains in short supply www.irishtimes.com/opinion/edit...

Minister Christopher O'Sullivan says that Ireland's nature restoration plan will be funded... "no doubt about that", and that "now is the time for action". Fine words but there's still no clear path for funding

'Like standing on the edge of catastrophe' Europe had heatwaves from the Mediterranean to the Arctic last year with temps of 30C inside the Arctic Circle. Report from @copernicusecmwf.bsky.social @wmo-global.bsky.social Comments from Met Eireann & @greenpeace.eu www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

New study highlights the extraordinary cost of bottom trawling news.nationalgeographic.org/new-peer-rev...

Brand new 115 metre monster ship set to ravage the world's oceans but thank goodness it has an "advanced eco-efficient design" and "among the most environmentally responsible trawlers of its type". Phew thefishingdaily.com/latest-news/...

It was very nice to welcome Rewilding Europe back to Ireland to talk about the potential for landscape and seascape scale rewilding

This is a very balanced piece on the angel shark issue. It's the subject of a public talk in Dingle next weekend that I'll be speaking at with a local fisherman. www.independent.ie/life/are-we-...

Varadker's comments reflect a wider erosion of the influence of farm organisations and their public image, which is a good thing www.independent.ie/irish-news/p...

In Science & Climate in @irishtimes.com, @whittledaway.bsky.social looks at how Ireland's hillscapes have been savaged by sheep and by policies that fail to offer upland farmers a viable alternative...... www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Yet another gushing story of how bogs are "prime areas for development" with plans for a "radical transformation of swathes of the midlands". Bogs are important in their own right should be restored not converted to data centres www.independent.ie/business/iri...

Yet another no-trawl zone announced for England... what is Ireland doing? www.bbc.com/news/article...

Sheep grazing is a sensitive issue but is also unavoidable if there is to be nature restoration on the hills. www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

From seahorses to sharks, more than 3,000 fish species have been caught in bottom trawls, including many at risk of extinction -new research They are depleting the ocean of life and if they are not stopped we will soon have a dead lifeless ocean science.ubc.ca/news/2026-04...

I'll be in Dingle over the May Bank Holiday weekend for two talks related to Páirc Náisiúnta na Mara as part of Féile na Bealtaine

What amazing news! www.cnn.com/2026/04/12/w...

This is how it's done! "a core reserve where fishing is banned outright, surrounded by a buffer zone that allows some artisanal fishing — designed to allow local fishing communities to retain their traditional livelihoods" www.conservation.org/news/brazil-...

"around 95% of species being hauled up were not the intended target of the fishery" The destructive power of bottom trawling has been known for a long time yet authorities still allow it in so-called 'protected areas' oceanographicmagazine.com/news/world-f...

What a disgraceful statistic - and a clear demonstration of why animal agriculture needs to be drastically scaled back

It's not hard to catch fish sustainably - if you don't catch them all, and don't destroy their habitat, they reproduce Yet industrial fisheries seem determined to destroy themselves, and governments keen to let them This shouldn't be left to consumers

This has been a very long battle for @antaisce.bsky.social in the face of much abuse, misinformation and a wrong decision from the EU to give Ireland another derogation despite worsening pollution. Fair play to them for not giving up! www.irishexaminer.com/farming/arid...

Important progress globally if still far from the 30% target which needs to be met by 2030. No progress at all to be reported in Ireland as promises around Marine Protected Area legislation comes and goes 🐬 iucn.org/press-releas...

275,000 animals a day are killed in Ireland for meat. "In the time it’ll take you to read this piece, 700 animals will be dead" www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

A great success story which is hopefully being mirrored in Ireland (where we know cranes are breeding but accurate numbers are lacking, albeit much lower than in Britain) www.bbc.com/news/article...

Nice to see politicians defending the EU's LIFE programme. It's the only dedicated funding for biodiversity and the European Commission wants to scrap it as a stand alone programme in the name of 'simplification' www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

Ireland's National Parks: Ambitious EU targets are coming — but without stronger laws, staffing and standards, the State risks failing to restore the land it already owns, writes Pádraic Fogarty. jrnl.ie/6989788

I think it's a good thing that the State is buying land for more and bigger national parks. But it has yet to demonstrate that it's capable of managing the land it has. jrnl.ie/6989788

Europe spent years debating whether the energy transition was affordable. Spain quietly answered the question: gas now sets its electricity price in only 7% of hours. Strategic autonomy doesn’t arrive via summit communiqués. It’s built in advance — in wind farms, solar parks, and grid investment

We often hear from the farm orgs that great change is happening and measures to improve water quality just need time to take effect. But the rivers don't lie

Unbelievably, a number of EU leaders want to use the war in the Middle East to withdraw from climate goals, when accelerating the switch to renewables is the obvious course. Spain's Pedro Sanchez seems to be the only one calling this out. euobserver.com/207696/spain...