Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Breen for his opening statement. All the members of the committee and I have been lobbied strongly by members of the horticulture nursery industries who are extremely worried about their viability and the lack of available horticultural peat for 2022. Thankfully, we are now in the midst of very good Spring weather. Being able to harvest peat in this country for these native industries is essential.

I attended a conference in Paris of agricultural committee chairmen on Sunday and Monday last. We were told there that the Commission has changed its position as regards the usage of coal in certain European countries. The war in Ukraine has definitely changed the landscape significantly. It brought home to us our lack of self-sufficiency.

I got figures today from the nursery industry as regards the significant cost of the importation of peat. Leaving aside the significant cost, the folly that it is as regards climate change would be laughable if it were not so serious. The idea that we have put ourselves in a situation that we have to import peat from an east European country defies comprehension. The costs for Kildare growers alone were given to me today. There is an extra €400,000 per year on costs of transport alone for bring peat into this country. Those industries will not be able to remain viable with such extra costs imposed on them. I very much fear that we will see a scenario that our mushroom industry, with its cost base very significantly affected, will move elsewhere.

I am told that there is a bog in Prosperous which has the best peat in Europe and that we are to re-wet that bog in the next couple of months. While I can understand the environmental benefit of this, surely to ensure that our native industries have peat available would make far more sense.

The industry is making substantial attempts to get away from horticultural peat. At present, they are using 30% of timber fibre. They hope to get that to 50% over a short period of time. Bord na Móna had been their suppliers for a long number of years. Bord na Móna has control of the vast majority of bogs in the country. Mr. Breen is quoting legislation to us. I fully respect the decision of the High Court but, as I have said, we have seen the Commission in the past couple of weeks reversing its policy on coal. Surely there is room for us to get a derogation to allow us to ensure the survival of those native horticulture and nursery industries.

The re-wetting of bogs, while it will have environmental benefits, cannot be done by us at the expense of the economic destruction of two very important industries in this country. I suppose that is an opening statement from me on which Mr. Breen can comment afterwards. I will call other members who have questions for Mr. Breen. Deputy Carthy indicated first.