Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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This is in light of what the witnesses have said about the mushroom industry and the research they have done indicating that there is nothing suitable. Unfortunately, we have invited three Ministers in. There is a bit of cat and mouse going on about what is happening. There was been a court case in the past week where the EPA brought growers to court about a hydrologically linked area. The growers and peat processors brought in people at different levels who were able to do the science and I believe the case was won. I have seen this done before and I talked about it here at the committee. We can show that something is not hydrologically connected. This is an opening for the Departments of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the likes of the peat operators representatives.

This committee, and I will put this forward to the Cathaoirleach, should try to facilitate a private meeting - I am not looking for a public meeting - of those people in order to bang their heads together. I said this a few years ago. The Cathaoirleach will have heard me saying it at our meetings. This is the way to go forward and resolve the issue. No one other than this committee will do it. Ministers do not want to seem to come before us. We should make an effort because every single person at this committee has put a fair bit of time into trying to get a solution. It has been proven now that the EPA had nothing in its arse pocket when it came to proving what it had been saying. The other side, in fairness, got the evidence and showed that you cannot go around saying that this area and that area are hydrologically connected.

I know this might be outside our area but I think we should arrange a private meeting and invite the Departments of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Environment, Climate and Communications and Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and the growers in to see if we can bang heads together in order to arrive at a way forward and to facilitate things. We do not want to be losing jobs and we do not want these boatloads of stuff coming right across the world. We should see. This has been ruled on now. It is there. Rather than going to court every week for the next year, could we bring a path forward and resolve the issue in an amicable way that is suitable and is a way forward for everyone?