Shane McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

I am genuine in what I say. The Fianna Fáil machine worked. I do not doubt that the Minister of State will protect Meath's farmers by taking the route of having no incinerator there or in Dublin.

Like at Ringsend, the raw material for the Meath incinerator site will entail a massive transport operation to and from the site. Located close to the M1, the incinerator will attract heavy goods vehicles from across the north east, probably from the Dublin region and possibly from Northern Ireland. The existing road network of the north east, particularly in Meath, is not capable of coping with the amount of waste brought by road to and from the incinerator.

The incinerator will be built on an aquifer. The supply of water to service current and future development needs is a significant issue in parts of Meath East. Any possible threats to water supplies posed by a proposed incinerator must weigh heavily when considering that development and its capacity. This issue demands consideration, given the significant population growth envisaged for Drogheda and its environs of Duleek, Dunore, Stamullen and the east coast towns of Laytown, Bettystown, Mornington, Donacarney and Julianstown.

Significant cultural changes have been achieved in recent years, including the smoking ban, control on the use of plastic bags and the elimination of smog from dirty coal. The same could be achieved with a national recycling campaign. To date, however, the Government and its agencies have not been serious about recycling. A minimum of €100 million will be spent on this incinerator. It is not difficult to imagine what could be achieved if that amount were put into a clear and focused national recycling campaign.

Before entering Government, the Green Party was totally opposed to the incinerator plans for Ringsend. Its general election candidate in Louth, Mary Deary, and Councillor Tom Kelly from Meath, whom I know well, are on record in their opposition to the incinerator outside Duleek. What is the party's position now that it is in Government? Incinerators are a potential timebomb. We do not know the long-term health implications they may have. It seems the Government is content to play Russian roulette with the health and well-being of the people of south-east Dublin and Meath. We are of the view, however, that we do not need these incinerators in Ringsend, Meath or anywhere else. My great concern is that the incinerator site in Meath will be turned into a national facility for waste. This will be the reality if the incinerator project in Ringsend does not go ahead.

There is a general recognition that we must turn to other activities to maintain the boom of recent years. I have no doubt we will return to agriculture, in view of the quantities of food we are importing and the inadequate quantities of food being produced across Europe. I hope Ireland will follow the example of New Zealand and forget about incineration. That country took the route of mass production and many Irish farmers went there and attained the satisfaction of being able to produce food. I defended the Minister, Deputy Gormley, as a farmer's man, and I expect him to defend the farmers of Ireland by ensuring there is no incineration in Meath, Ringsend or elsewhere in the State.

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