Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 20 July 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Impact of Peat Shortages on the Horticultural Industry: Discussion

Photo of Michael FitzmauriceMichael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Mr. Lucas is familiar with Brussels and with DG 11. He is also familiar with going back to the officials there to talk about different matters. Would it not have been a good thing for the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications especially, to go to DG 11 and outline the serious situation we are in and also to outline a just transition system that we would be prepared to put in place and the need for it? As Mr. Lucas has outlined, it is in agreement with the terms of the working group that has been set up. Would it not have been sensible to outline the situation so that we would have Europe's backing? We should also find out how Germany is able to do it, and how other countries in Europe are able to produce as much peat as they want, yet here in Ireland production is being shut down. In all of those countries, they are well over the 50 ha limit.

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