Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 14 November 2017

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Climate Change Issues: Discussion

4:00 pm

Photo of Michael FitzmauriceMichael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to know that figure. How accurate are the figures that are being given out? To whom can we talk to ascertain how this debt is compiled? The then Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney, said last year there would be a review. We were not happy with some of the ways the carbon figure was being added up in Ireland. Are we basically just taking figures from somebody and not questioning them? Do we know how many trees are planted through REPS, GLAS and AEOS? Have all those figures been compiled? Have we allowed for the amount of destocking in the Senator's county and other counties of ewes and the extra sequestration that is taking place? Are we doing it thoroughly or are we just throwing figures at things?

The witness spoke of beef genomics and moving cattle and I note that 10,000 extra cattle were killed this year. We are only kicking in around the same tonnage of cattle. Is that saying that we are doing better in this regard? Dr. Hendrick might confirm whether I am correct in stating we have not reached our target in plantations this year because of a huge number of problems with and blockages to getting planting done. If we are talking about hitting a level of 10,000 ha and more in forestry planting, I seek the witnesses' figures on the demise of farming in ten years' time on foot of all of this lovely talk about carbon and climate change. I believe we will lose 20,000 farmers with all the talks that are going on.

Is the west of Ireland being earmarked for most of this planting? Would it not be fair that every county would have to take its share? Could the witnesses give us the breakdown that is required? Does a farmer need five acres? If one has bog for example, bog sequesters 40 tonnes of carbon a year. At present what is being done in Ireland is akin to me making all the bales in my field and feeding half the neighbours cattle for the winter. We are covering aeroplanes and all the other different sectors with the carbon we have at the moment. This is an argument that should be made for people with private property but no individual person is allowed his or her own carbon credits. We are the happy family; we are covering everyone in the country. On the designation of land, and special areas of conservation, SACs, Dr. Hendrick spoke about the hen harrier project and said that we are waiting for a report. Let us be honest with people: according to everyone to whom I have talked who is involved in the report, it will state that forestry will not be allowed in it. In parts of County Mayo and parts of Connemara, one cannot put in or take down a spruce tree because they are designated now. One side wants us to leave it barren and the other side will not let people grow a tree in it. I know that bad trees will grow, they will not be as good as trees grown on fairly good land. However, if we want to try and sort out problems we have to do things.

On biomass and related issues, Bord na Móna is talking about bringing it from Georgia. It will get grants there to set up a factory and will get someone there who will sow it and cut it. The board will bring it to a factory there and then we will whip it back here in a boat. At the same time, let us be honest with people. Approximately €10 million is going to the car side of things and €7 million is provided for solar power, for making biomass plants, choosing to subsidise it or whatever will be done and for anaerobic digestion. We are talking about achieving something on one side while on the other side, it is not viable. In the past few weeks, a farmer who six years ago went down the miscanthus route appeared on Newstalk. That farmer has walked away from it and gone back to beef farming. We can dream dreams, although at night and in bed is the time to do that, but we are talking about doing things. The facts will tell one that to grow a sufficient amount of willow to cover Lanesborough power station, the good land of the full county of Roscommon would be needed. Forget growing it on bad land, one will not get the tonnage. It would be great if we could grow it on Bord na Móna bog but there is nothing there suitable to grow it. The full county of Roscommon would need to be in willow to get something like 40% to feed the power station in Lanesborough. We better go to Offaly and cover Shannonbridge as well with another county.

I would like to know the facts and the tonnages. What is required to cover a cow and are we, the farming community and the agricultural sector, taking the brunt? We have grown more trees and have reduced stock numbers. Am I correct in stating we are 14% better than we were in 1990?

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