Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I agree. I have visited places where I have seen materials being mixed to try to find alternatives. The proposed timeframe is not viable.

Regarding mushrooms, I visited Walsh Mushrooms in Golden, which the Chairman will know. As soon as I walked into the place, the complex nature of the peat being used there was apparent. The company regulates water retention, drainage, the peat's chemical composition, etc. It is more than understandable that more time is needed to develop alternatives, yet the Departments are in a big rush.

This issue is coupled with the unresolved problem of energy price increases. The sector is reliant on energy to maintain suitable temperatures in the rooms where the mushrooms are grown, as I saw in Walsh Mushrooms. Great efforts are being undertaken in Golden and throughout the industry to incorporate clean alternatives and renewables into its energy consumption. In terms of carbon footprints, it is sad to see that both of the industries represented before us are trying to do the right thing while Departments are actively promoting a situation where peat must be driven 3,000 km across the world to a country where we already have so much of it and so little is required for these industries. The industries are doing all they can, but that effort is not being replicated by the Departments. Is that putting ideology over common sense? There does not seem to be a pile of common sense at play.

The witnesses have pointed out the amount of time that will be needed to make the change to alternatives. How far down the line are we in that regard?