Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his reply. It is acceptable to me. An amount of thought must go into it, given that there are several potential implications across the tax code if the use of land in this way is not deemed to be agricultural in nature. Those who are investing in this type of technology will argue that the land can still be made available for dual purpose, for example, an area covered by solar panels can be grazed by sheep. The issues are significant and have serious implications for farmers and we all buy into increasing the percentage of our energy that is provided by renewables. We have a long way to go, and at the current rate of progress we will not meet our targets. This is one area that offers a further potential way to increase renewable levels. I take what the Minister said in good faith, that he will engage in stakeholders to deal with all the issues in a unified manner.

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