Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the panel, in particular Mr. Michael McCarthy, who is returning to this room. He was the Chairman of the Thirty-first Dáil's environment committee, of which I was a member.

Mr. Dennehy mentioned the agriculture sector in terms of biogas. Is there a role for the semi-State sector? Bord na Móna has tentatively started to move into biogas and has submitted a planning request for one biogas plant. What role could the semi-States play, particularly given their landmass and sites?

The KPMG report was mentioned, but the European Commission also examined this matter and stated that we were ideally suited, given that we have a large agriculture sector relative to the country's size. The Commission came down on the same side in that there is a great deal of agricultural waste that could be used. In terms of fuel, slurry and silage were referenced. A plant that is operating in Nurney uses food waste and waste from meat factories. Could that have further potential? Unfortunately, there is a great deal of food waste. Some of that cannot be avoided. For example, it is accepted that the waste from meat processing factories forms a part of it, but the Nurney plant also takes food waste from hotels.