Ms Niamh Brennan:

Any research into an alternative will take a number of years. This is something we would have said last year. It will take a minimum of five to ten years to source a suitable commercial substrate. Work is ongoing but it will take more time. Recently, the UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, DEFRA, stated that it was looking to go peat free by 2030 but its statement also mentioned that it was seeking a derogation for plant plugs and mushroom production because there was no certainty that a viable alterative would be available until 2030. We need to think along the same lines. We are making progress and Teagasc is doing work, as are many producer organisations, POs, but the problem will not be solved today or tomorrow.