Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses. We have had a very good exchange of views. I wish to acknowledge the fact that the IFFPG is doing a very efficient job in collecting plastic throughout the country. I am a farmer and have seen the collection points. I know that the service operates very efficiently in my county. Nevertheless, there is a problem. We can argue about the exact amounts involved but at a conservative estimate, 30% of the plastic used on farms is lying in stockpiles in the yards of independent operators. Depending on how much is imported, the figure could be higher than 30%. That is an environmental concern. Farmers have paid a levy on the plastic and have paid for it to be collected but now it is lying in yards. I am not saying it is the responsibility of the IFFPG to collect that plastic but it has collected a levy on a proportion of it. Farmers have played their part and we do not want the plastic on which they have paid a levy to cause environmental problems. They have paid for it to be collected in the vast majority of cases but there is a significant amount of it lying around. We know that county councils are getting worried about it and issues are arising.

This is an issue that must be resolved. Plastic cannot be allowed to cause any environmental issues given that the primary producer has stuck to his or her part of the bargain, paid the levy and paid for it to be collected. If the market for plastic improves, the problem will probably resolve itself but, as legislators, we cannot wait around in the hope that the plastic market improves. Legislation is on the Statute Book to protect the Irish environment from pollution arising from farm plastic and it would be an absolute disaster if stockpiling of same caused issues that are completely outside the control of farmers.

I again thank the witnesses and fully acknowledge the role the IFFPG is playing in the environmental control of plastic waste. We will suspend now and resume in private session on MS Teams at 5.50 p.m.