Ms Emer Ó Siochrú:

Germany or Denmark. In Denmark one cannot spread slurry unless it has been through a digester. There are other technologies that we could use that would be cheaper again, but at the end of the day, we have to recycle food back on to the land because that is where the nutrients are. That waste is going to a landfill site or for incineration, whereas it should be put safely back on the land. The Departments of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the Environment, Community and Local Government have to work together on this issue, but ,nfortunately, we do not see this happening. It would be wonderful if there could be synergies at local level. If this were to happen, we would have greater local development; we could develop the farming sector, create more jobs and resolve the renewable energy issue. It does not always have to be turbines; there are other ways of creating energy locally. Anaerobic digestion is very good at producing fuel for vehicles. As many of our vehicles are not electric, we cannot switch over and use wind energy as a way of getting around. Anaerobic digestion can offer a solution to that problem.