Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

What would Professor Sweeney’s thoughts be on the slurry part of anaerobic digestion? A statement was made earlier that if one gives people a derogation or a grant, this would intensify this activity to a greater extent. If one is down to 220 kg N/ha in one's nitrates, one cannot intensify because everything is gone and one cannot go above a certain threshold. The issue, however, is the people caught between 170 kg N/ha and 220 kg N/ha. They need to ensure slurry storage. One cannot intensify more because if one is at 219 kg N/ha, one is at one's limit, if Professor Sweeney takes my point here.

Returning to Professor Sweeney on anaerobic digesters, there are two options on slurry. The Government or the Minister, Deputy Ryan, never gave a feed-in tariff which one needs to make them viable. This was given in the North. On the two options, one can take the methane and turn it into gas if one wants to. I presume Professor Sweeney would agree that it would be better to do that rather than bringing grass from halfway across the world, as we will always need a bit of gas. The other part, which is where the problem is arising in anaerobic digestion, is that one has the digestate which is in liquid form or one can dry it. That takes energy and is where one needs the feed-in tariff. We are hearing about anaerobic digesters every day but they will not be there unless they are viable. As one of Professor Sweeney’s solutions, does he think it would help on the slurry side of it? I am not talking about the land or about growing more acres of grass to put into it, if the professor understands me correctly here.