Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses from An Taisce. Many of us have diverging views but I respect that our guests have come to robustly make their case.

I will not repeat the comments of others but we all agree we must move towards a just transition for our farmers. We also need to achieve strong legal compliance and climate mitigation. That is not really at issue. Just transition comes with climate justice. I have great time for An Taisce and as somebody living in an urban space along the coast, I can see at first hand the work it does. We are not talking about built heritage today or marine heritage in particular.

One of the problems for An Taisce is it relies on many volunteers and there is a bit of a communication deficit. That is the challenge for the organisation, and I say that respectfully. I agree with many of its core principles, its objectives and what it attempts to do. There is nonetheless a real need to communicate with urban, suburban and rural people. People are hearing different things.

There are many mixed messages. I have seen the benefits of the work done by An Taisce in my community but it needs to take on board this challenge.

I know time is tight so I ask the witnesses to send the committee some background information on An Taisce's environmental education unit. The green schools and green flag initiatives, which were mentioned, are positive things An Taisce does. Perhaps it will provide more details on its environmental education unit.

I have worked in the Irish horticultural industry for many years. Having visited many peat and mushroom establishments, both North and South, I have seen the jobs and economic potential they provide in rural communities. Members referred to Teagasc and Professor Gerry O'Boyle appeared the committee recently. There is no real alternative to this plan. We have an amazing industry that sustains rural communities and growers export a large volume of mushrooms throughout Europe.

I draw attention to page 26 of An Taisce's submission where Bord Bia's Origin Green brand is criticised. Origin Green is a particularly strong brand in the food sector and one that Irish people, growers and the agricultural sector are very proud of. I am concerned that An Taisce has called into question the use of the Origin Green label on mushrooms. It undermines the brand, Irish agriculture and Irish food. That is a little unfair given all the circumstances and I ask the witnesses to tease it out a little. I thank them for engaging and wish An Taisce well in its work.