Ms Niamh Brennan:

I will address the question on the horticulture sector. The peat issue has been overshadowed by the retail issue and the crisis in the horticultural sector in the last weeks. The issue is still to the fore. We are losing growers from the industry because they cannot continue to endure the measures. In the 1999 census, there were nearly 400 horticulture bed growers. In 2014, there were 150. It is now estimated that there are fewer than 100. Our critical mass has been eroded. It is feared that if we go below that, we will not have a core base to be able to re-establish the horticulture industry. There is no point in talking about any policy or specific strategy that is in place to try to expand or redevelop the sector if we do not have that core mass.

The availability and subsequently the cost of peat is a significant issue. We estimated before Christmas that the cost would have increased by over 40% because of the imports. There are also issues of the quality and availability of that peat. We are continuing to bang the drum about that. We recently engaged with the Department on this, especially with regard to the proposed action plan that was published alongside the final report. We did the final report. Members of the IFA were involved with it. There were 14 meetings to try to find alternatives to peat. It is evident that they are not available at the minute and it will take some years for them to be in place. Our main issue was the contradiction in that action plan, whereby it focuses on bogs smaller than 30 ha. That will not be sufficient in the short term for peat for the commercial horticultural sector. We need peat in substantial quantities for commercial matters, not just for the hobby market. A certain quality and quantity need to be available, especially in the current market. We will come back to that. I welcomed the Deputy's earlier comment about ministerial engagement.

The two main positive points in the action plan are that two experts are to be appointed. One is to address legal aspects for anyone wishing to be involved with the bogs smaller than 30 ha, while the other is to find out the actual requirements of the Irish horticultural peat industry. We welcome that. We want those people to be appointed as soon as possible. There cannot be more delays. We have been waiting for this final report for more than a year, with many meetings. If there is to be the same scenario, waiting for those two experts to be appointed, we might as well put that to bed.

We will take the peat issue further in the next weeks. The issue of retailers and margins is to the fore. Import substitution is mentioned in various policies. In 2020, we imported more than €1.3 billion worth of fresh fruit and vegetables. Import substitution erodes the critical core mass of growers. Where is the opportunity? They will not be allowed an opportunity, not to mention the issues of peat and labour. We will not mention that today, but all of the issues that existed last year are still there. It is becoming more critical because the margins are eroding and we are losing growers.