Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael)

The Minister says the EU target of 10% must be met by 2020, yet there are only 16 companies in the country who have permits. A company in my area, Centenary co-op, is looking for a permit. It has planning permission and a building ready to go but it has not been granted a permit. This means the company will have to pay the full rate of 37 cent per litre if it is to go into production. The Minister has said a lot but he has said nothing really; he has just talked about consultation processes. Has he any concrete, positive or imaginative proposals for a strategy to reach that target?

The Minister earlier referred to a Fine Gael proposal as "gimmicks". This is the height of the production season for agriculture and an important time for the hauliers who must transport that produce to mainland Europe, yet they are being ripped off by the price of diesel. What the Minister did not say was that the higher the price of diesel on the international market, the more revenue this Government is receiving. The Minister is doing nothing for those people. It is no gimmick. Seven farmers a week are going out of business and the cost of production this summer will crucify them and put many more of them out of business. It is time the Minister took this issue seriously and addressed the problem for producers and hauliers.

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