Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

With regard to biomass, in the long term, biomass is an effective feedstock for heat. In the short term, we are looking at it with regard to power generation but it is far more effective for heat. As we start harvesting our forestry crops, the leftover residues will be the main bulk to provide that feedstock. Biomass crops can complement that to ensure that we are not importing biomass from half way around the world. The Deputy is right that there needs to be a far broader debate. It comes back to the conversation I had with Deputy Stanley earlier about some of the resources that we have on farms. One of the biggest challenges I have relates to air quality in the short term, meeting our ammonia targets, and the better management by farmers of the use of slurry, not just from an environmental and water quality perspective. Also, this year, because of the financial constraints on farmers, we need to use slurry as a fertiliser rather than it being perceived by farmers as a waste.

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