Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As a person from the west, I saw the effect of closing down bogs in north Mayo and the devastation it left in villages and towns. In this country we have some products that the rest of the world does not have but in this case some people wish to take that product away. Legislation needs to be brought on this issue, particularly for home growers.

As was stated, there are many people employed in this industry. It is a difficult industry in which to survive. There have been various problems over the years with disease and other issues.

The point was made in the context of carbon and climate change that it is fine for people to be advocating for climate change. This is a small country. Many of those present live in rural Ireland. It is not like there are many people or jobs in rural Ireland. It is all right for people living in cities in Ireland or elsewhere in Europe to be making decisions that will affect isolated areas such as the west of Ireland and the midlands which do not have the kind of jobs that everywhere else has. Small communities are dying all over the country and they need these kinds of jobs and the kind of industries we have. If those industries could be in Dublin, they would not be in rural Ireland. That is why we need to support this industry.

People often have very short memories. With regard to food safety, it is not many years ago that imports of meal caused disease in this country. That is what I am worried about in the context of importing these kinds of goods into the country. We do not know from where they are coming. There is no safety aspect to it. They do not have the same compliance that we have here in Ireland.

Most of the peat is controlled by the State anyway. Some 90% of bogs are owned by the State. There should be no reason that we are not able to take enough out to support this industry and the jobs it provides. Anything excess could be exported or sold. If one looks at what America, China and all those countries are doing to the world, it is clear that, as a small country, we overrate ourselves with regard to climate change. That is part of our problem.