Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman and I appreciate the opening statement from the witness. I and perhaps other members were shocked when we heard what has been said but we probably already knew about this from the decimating impacts of the changes to peat extraction on the Irish horticulture industry. This is a complete fiasco and absolute disaster. We need legislation to define peat extraction for horticulture. I intend to keep my questions limited in the hope that my colleague, Deputy Nolan, can speak after me and I will perhaps confine myself to one question. I have been very lucky in getting great advice from a neighbour of mine, a local horticulturalist called Joseph Croke, from Trevor Swanton, Skibbereen nurseries and from other nurseries throughout Ireland and west Cork, in particular. We are in a situation where we have heard that we are importing peat moss from Scotland and perhaps even the Baltic states. That is a crazy situation to be in. Has any research or investigation been done by universities on the amount of peat lands that could not be rewetted or returned to high biodiversity and that could be used to provide peat to the horticultural industry to reduce the significant carbon footprint of transporting peat from as far away as the Baltic states, or further afield, and what will be done with such bogs?