Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 5 July 2022

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action

Anaerobic Digestion: Discussion

Mr. Tim Cullinan:

Absolutely. That is critical. If two thirds are going to industry with only one third going to agriculture, we need to remember that all of this is derived from agriculture, whether it is the production of the crop, feeding the anaerobic digester, or using animal manure coming from food production in Ireland. It needs to be rebalanced. If the primary producer is doing the work, more of the emissions reduction needs to be attributed to the primary producer. That is important. The Deputy mentioned the savings earlier. There will be substantial savings in emissions from the production of chemical fertiliser and transportation into this country. There would be substantial savings from developing an inorganic fertiliser in this country.