Mr. Ger Breen:

Bord na Móna traditionally harvested peat during the summer months, between May and September, because we needed the wind and the sun to dry the peat and reduce the moisture content. We would traditionally have stockpiled peat on the peatlands.

The position on horticultural peat was slightly different in that what we harvested in a particular year was normally sold within 12 to 15 months. Therefore, we do not have as high a stock of horticultural peat. We would harvest the peat, stockpile it, cover it and transport it at a later date.