Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will follow on from what Mr. McCarthy has talked about. The reason I sought to introduce this Bill was because I see the advantages involved and the need to expedite this process, carry on with it and get going. At the same time, I would never advocate for diving into something head first without mitigation and examining the science. Mr. McCarthy recently said something interesting about the fact that 92% of Ireland is covered in pasture. Mr. Cullinan qualified that by saying we are the best and most efficient in the world, and the most sustainable in terms of our food production model. Within that 92% of pasture, some farmers can be very good at protecting biodiversity. Outside those special areas of conservation, SACs, and the mountainous areas we have talked about, there are some bits of biodiversity on farmlands that do not have the same protection. We hope that the agri-climate rural environmental scheme, ACRES, will go some way towards addressing that through riparian planting, mixed-species swards and wild bird cover, etc. What I am getting is that 92% is a lot. That leaves only 8% for everything else and those pure bits of biodiversity. That suggests an interesting question in respect of balance.

It seems to me that on pure waste alone, AD is probably neither viable nor sustainable. There needs to be an element of silage. Dr. Beausang referenced the technique whereby what is left after the process is divided into liquid which is still a viable feed. We need a bit more reassurance to ensure we avoid a situation whereby pasture expands further just to feed AD. We must retain the sustainable food production element that Mr. Cullinan has said is important.

The following relates to one of the main positives. Our guests might elaborate further on the circular economy. We sometimes forget about the importance of the circular economy in the context of AD.

He might touch on where that waste food goes, if it does not go to an AD plant. Where does the waste from a piggery go if it does not go to AD? In the Timoleague example I gave, there is a successful distillery and the waste grain is brought to the AD. Where does that go? That is a very important factor. The circular economy is so important because we are reusing these products. I know we are nearly at closing up time, but if Mr. Cullinan could just answer both of those questions, it would be great.