Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the representatives for being here. I echo the Chairman's sentiments about the potentially extremely dangerous situation we are in. I have a number of questions for our guests. First, will they outline the immediate difficulties accessing horticultural peat? The challenges they are facing in the here and now due to the shortages we have been hearing about are being faced by a number of sectors. This includes issues as benign, almost, as bedding for animals as well as the particular issues that pertain to the horticultural sector. On 7 September, the Minister of State, Deputy Malcolm Noonan, announced he was establishing a working group on the use of peat moss in the horticultural sector. Many would have seen that as a good opportunity to play out all the issues which the representatives will no doubt raise. Crucially, however, he stated the terms of reference of the working group would have a predetermined outcome, namely, the graduated elimination of the use of peat moss in the horticultural industry over an agreed period of years. It is extremely concerning that this is a working group with a predetermined outcome that could have devastating implications.

The sector I am most familiar with is mushroom growing. It forms the bedrock of the local economy in my home county of Monaghan and is crucially important in many other rural areas where there is little other economic activity. There are currently approximately 1.35 million ha of peatlands in this State. Could our guests give an indication of what proportion of that is required for horticultural use?

We hear quite a bit about the potential use of alternatives. Our guests represent a number of sectors. I will limit this question to the representatives of the mushroom sector in the first instance in case members have questions about other areas. What alternatives are in place for the mushroom sector and are any of them viable?

My final question is on the outworking of this. I agree with the Chairman that climate action is incredibly important and we need to take it seriously. However, climate action should not be confused with hypocrisy. If we have a situation whereby the elimination of horticultural peat use in Ireland simply leads to either an exporting of the mushroom industry, for example, or the importation of horticultural peat from other parts of the world, then that is not climate action but hypocrisy. If there is an elimination of horticultural peat, what happens to the mushroom growing sector?

I thank the Chairman for his indulgence in allowing me in early.