Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Amendment No. 44 specifies that "the Minister shall set annual food waste reduction targets, sector by sector". We have a 50% target by 2030 and the amendment seeks to break that down into annual and sectoral targets. That would be a detailed breakdown. By way of comparison, the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act sets five-year targets as well as sectoral targets but they are not on an annual basis. It is probably unrealistic to expect a straight-line year-by-year target, particularly if there is such a target for each sector. Sectoral division is needed and one needs to have some idea in that regard but what the amendment proposes is too granular. In practice, when one is trying to meet a target over a number of years, there are good years and bad years. The work of strategy and preparations may suddenly kick in during a particular year, for example. To do it on a year-by-year basis would be very difficult.

There is a process under way at EU level to set targets to reduce food waste across the EU which will take into account data reported by member states in mid-2022. Subject to EU developments, it is expected that the baseline year that links to the 2030 50% reduction target will be the reference year 2020. Ireland’s food waste dataset for 2020 will be reported by the Environmental Protection Agency in mid-2022. An adoption of the legislative proposal on EU food waste reduction targets is foreseen for the second quarter of 2023. At the moment, we do not even have a base year for what the EU is proposing, so we are kind of in the dark as regards what the 50% actually means or, in other words, what the volumetric quantity of food waste will be in 2030. It is difficult to set targets without knowing what the EU will come back with for the base year. We need to know the base year before we can do something like that.

The draft national food waste prevention roadmap was recently made available for public consultation. It commits to setting interim targets following the establishment of the baseline. These will take account of developments at EU level. That is the right thing to do. We need interim targets. I do not think they will be annual targets but there will certainly be interim targets based on the baseline set by the EU. It is appropriate that we await the outcome of the EU process for setting food waste reduction targets before determining the approach for setting food waste reduction targets in the national food waste prevention strategy. For that reason, I will not be accepting amendment No. 44.

Amendment No. 45, tabled by Deputy Whitmore, seeks that additional documents be included in the Bill. That is worthwhile and the right thing to do, so I will be accepting the amendment. I thank the Deputy for suggesting it. Following consultation with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, I may bring further amendments on Report Stage to provide for definitions of each of these documents in the Bill.

Amendments Nos. 46, 48, 49 and 50 relate to reviews. It is intended that the national food waste prevention strategy, which is a statutory policy, will establish a monitoring and evaluation framework to monitor progress of key actions on food waste prevention to ensure Ireland delivers on its food waste prevention commitments. A draft national food waste prevention strategy was recently made available for public consultation. It outlines that a food waste prevention task force comprising representatives from key sectors and organisations will be established and will monitor the implementation and progress of the roadmap delivery. The findings of the food waste prevention task force will be reviewed and, in line with the Bill, the roadmap will be updated accordingly to ensure actions remain relevant and appropriate and so that Ireland is on the right path to deliver on its food waste reduction obligation of a 50% cut by 2030.

I note the intention of the amendments and agree it would be appropriate for the Minister to conduct an annual review of the national food waste prevention strategy. Accordingly, I will accept amendments Nos. 48 and 49, tabled by Deputies Bruton and Bríd Smith, respectively, because they will give effect to the intention of all the amendments on this issue. Given Deputy Smith and, in respect of amendment No. 45, Deputy Whitmore are not present, I will reintroduce their amendments on Report Stage. Because amendments Nos. 48 and 49 will achieve what I have set out, I will not accept amendments Nos. 46 and 50. Nevertheless, I would like to thank those Deputies for introducing the amendments, given the provision is a worthwhile contribution that will improve the Bill.

Finally, amendment No. 47, tabled by Deputies O'Rourke and Cronin, would provide that the Minister "shall ensure the national food waste prevention strategy is accompanied by powers, authority and accountability". It is intended the national food waste prevention strategy will establish a monitoring and evaluation framework on a statutory basis to check progress on key actions in respect of food waste prevention to ensure Ireland will deliver on its food waste prevention commitments. As such, I do not propose to accept that amendment.