Ms Orla McManus:

The Deputy mentioned the mushroom industry. We believe that we can be the most sustainable mushroom producers in Europe. On Monday, we submitted our new Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, operational programme for 2023 to 2030. Some 45% of our members' spend over the next seven years will be on the agri-environmental and climate actions - renewable energies, good water usage, insulation and reducing our energy usage by moving to variable speed drives and more efficient equipment. We are focused on reducing our energy usage, but it feels futile and our members are reluctant. The main question for them is why they should invest if they do not know whether they will still be in existence in six or nine months' time. We have had to encourage them to proceed with their plans in the hope that we can get some kind of resolution. They are investing in renewables and want to use their input materials sustainably. They are paying levies to CMP to invest in researching an alternative. We believe we have a solution. We have been trialling it and have got as far as full tunnels using an alternative. Obviously, yields will suffer, but we can work with that.

We want to invest and we will get there by 2030, but the Government's only support for us so far has come via the producer organisation, PO, scheme, which is money from Europe. We need help, but before we even have those conversations, we must have the peat we need in the short-to-medium term. Without that, we will not need any further investment because there will be nothing left in which to invest. The businesses will be gone and the jobs will be lost. We will not be able to pull that expertise out of the woodwork in a few years' time when a simple licensing process is ready. It is now or never - there is no more time. Growers are questioning their viability over the next six to nine months. This is a conversation that we as a PO are having every day of the week. We need action.