Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 12 October 2022
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Impact of Peat Shortages on the Horticulture Industry: Discussion (Resumed)
Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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I have one more question.
Mr. Mahon said that we are in a tripartite Government and that he feels that part of the agreement under the programme for Government is the death knell for the sector. I can only speak for my party, but that will not be the case. We will be strong advocates for the sector. The message we need to send to the Departments is that our guests have come to this meeting with a ready-made solution. It is a solution to safeguard 0.1% of our peatland. We are not looking to pillage the national peatland stock. We have a ready solution. We need to get the three Departments and Ministers before the committee. We have muscles to flex. Those Departments are going to need us to action and move forward legislation. If they can refuse to come before the committee, we can refuse to work on legislation.