Professor John FitzGerald:

I am told many farmers could make more money, so what is the reason they are not doing so? It is not because they are stupid but because there are obstacles. I did research on the economics of biomass with ESB International and Teagasc 20 years ago. One of the problems for farmers was that if they produce biomass and there is only one buyer, farmers would have much experience of being beholden to one buyer and being screwed. We would need to look at developing the market. If farmers plant more woodland, will there be only one buyer and will they be screwed? We have not done that research. We are saying there is a problem. It looks as if the practice is profitable but it is not happening. The Department should design a scheme as the existing schemes are not working. They should be recalibrated so they will work.