Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

The plan for reductions in the dairy sector was a voluntary scheme and would have to have been a part of just transition. It would have given farmers an alternative. However, that work does not seem to be progressing at all, which is a shame.

The Minister mentioned wind turbines earlier. We must be cognisant of biodiversity impacts and the potential to switch off the turbines in the event of migratory seabirds, etc. I absolutely agree and think that is the way we need to go. We currently have an issue that falls within the Minister's remit in respect of the ESB and its dams in the River Shannon. There are large migrations of critically endangered eel populations. The eels are trying to get through that infrastructure and thousands of them are being killed on an annual basis as they try to go through those ESB dams. There is quite a simple solution, which is that when those eels are migrating, those turbines should be turned off to allow the eels free passage.