European Communities (Conservation of Wild Birds (Howth Head Coast Special Protection Area 004113)) Regulations 2012 (S.I. No. 185 of 2012).

These Regulations designate a foreshore area as a Special Protection Area in accordance with Article 4 of Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Conservation of Wild Birds. The purpose is to ensure survival and reproduction of all species of birds to which Article 4 relates and in particular those listed in Schedule 3 to these Regulations. Schedule 4 lists activities that require the consent of the Minister and may cause disturbance or damage to birds protected under Schedule 3. No consent of the Minister is required if: (a) the operation or activity is licensed by or subject to the permission of another public authority, or (b) the operation or activity is specified as permitted in a farm or land management plan, i.e. an agreement between the holder of any estate, right or interest in land within the Special Protection Area and the Minister or the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for the purposes of, inter alia, compliance with the Directive and Council Directive No. 92/43/EEC. Activities that require consent of the Minister include: introduction, or re-introduction, of plants or animals not found in the area.