The Green Party MEP for Leinster, Ms Nuala Ahern, has written to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asking it to rescind a licence granted to Bord na Mona allowing it to extract peat at Killamuck Bog on the outskirts of Abbeyleix.
Last week local people objected when Bord na Mona machinery moved in to begin preparatory work on the bog. Following discussions between officials of the board and representatives of three environmental groups from Abbeyleix, development work on the bog was halted until today, when more talks will take place.
Earlier this week, Ms Ahern said she had asked the EPA to seek an Environmental Impact Study of the raised bog from Bord na Mona before any work proceeds.
She claimed in her letter that the planning application to develop the bog was submitted to Offaly County Council when, in fact, the bog is located in Co Laois.
"I believe that because of the seriousness of this matter the correct procedure to follow would be for you to rescind the licence and carry out a thorough and proper re-evaluation.
"Failing this, I would have to evoke the EU directives . . . However, I am sure that you would want to rectify the situation before it went this far," Ms Ahern said.
Mr Gary O'Keefe of the Killamuck Residents Association said the association and other heritage groups were concerned about the development of the bog.
The residents had staged a protest when machinery moved in to begin work on the bog, which locals want preserved as it forms part of the local environment around the heritage town.
"We see the bog as an extension of the heritage town of Abbeyleix and we are worried about the impact on the environment of any development work there," Mr O'Keefe said.
While the 200-hectare bog is not a designated National Heritage Area, a study by the Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC) last April found 70 species of plant, animal and bird life there.
It found that the site had suffered from extensive drying out because of an elaborate system of drains.
The bog scored highly for the variety of plants and animals present, its potential for recreational use and the presence of hummocks and hollows in the peat. "The site has taken on added significance in recent years because of the amount of midland raised bog being lost for development," an IPCC spokesman said during the week.