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

I thank the representatives for coming in. I have met some of them previously. My understanding is that people growing hemp could have the Garda coming to them accusing them of something. A few years ago, I remember we put in questions to try to see if this could be resolved. To be honest about it, we are facing a brick wall.

I have a few questions. Ms Carmody talked about peaty ground. I am not an expert but I have talked to people in Clare, Monaghan and different parts who were growing hemp. They were sowing an acre or maybe 2 or 3 acres. None of it was large scale; let us put it that way. I remember at the time that two blades were needed for cutting it, one for cutting it at the butt and another for the tops. At the time, I saw CLAAS was making a machine for that. I went to the bother of ringing America, where the machines were, and they cost something like $750,000. My view is that machinery, such as combines or whatever, could be changed to get the flower part out on an elevator. That type of machinery will not work on peaty ground; there would be no point. It would have to be on tracks at the time of year hemp is cut because it would not be dry enough. Has anything progressed on that? My memory is that at the time most people were taking the flower and then cutting the other part. It was the grace of God whether or not people got what they had cut on the ground. They might be twisting and turning it but they might never get it. Has anything progressed that way?

I presume the representatives are talking about a plan for where we are going with hemp. At present, it seems to be individuals, in fairness to them, doing their own thing and creating their own markets without any help anywhere. It needs an awful lot, such as one big operator or co-op coming in to set up the infrastructure that everyone can feed their stuff into for a while or something like that. Ms Allen referenced a High Court case. Will she tell me what is involved? Is she saying that Ireland is basically in contradiction of all European law and not in compliance with the rest of Europe? She also mentioned a High Court case. Have the representatives talked to companies in other countries? They talked about retrofitting, insulation and that 5 acres builds a house. I presume they were talking about the stem part of the hemp plant. Are there any companies doing that in order that the likes of us could see how it is done or what is involved in it in other parts of the world? Those are my questions. Thanks once more for coming in.