Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 30 November 2022

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Impact of Peat Shortages on the Horticulture Industry: Discussion (Resumed)

Photo of Matt CarthyMatt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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The question the committee has asked of a number of different stakeholders is how quickly this could be done, if it were done perfectly. We are told that within the current dual licensing system and a potential judicial review, the best-case scenario would be four to six years. Does Mr. Boland agree?

The suggestion is a pilot scheme that would potentially run for six years before being replicated. That means that by the time we got to a working planning system, it could go beyond the period after which the Government has stated the use of peat will be prohibited entirely.