Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is great to see €500 million being used for environmentally friendly projects. I note, however, that nothing has gone to agriculture, which is always being wrongly blamed as the cause of emissions in Ireland. Some €8.5 million is being provided for a gas project; €15 million is going to Irish Rail to reduce the number of diesel engines; €20 million is going to Dublin City Council for green heating systems; €4.5 million being provided for Tallaght district heating systems; €17.5 million is going to council street lighting; and €1.4 million is going for fuel efficiencies in heavy goods vehicles. Again, there is nothing for the farming sector, which is working very hard to bring down emissions and has embraced several simple measures. The replacement of a fertiliser like calcium ammonium nitrate with stabilised urea formulations, for example, reduces emissions but costs the farmer €40 per tonne. This is under the Teagasc marginal abatement cost curve guidelines. Farmers are also using low-emissions slurry spreading to reduce emissions, but there is no funding. All of this is Dublin top-heavy. Let us think of the rest of rural Ireland. Let us think of where we are getting our food every week in the shops. Let us think of Ireland as a green area and let us start with farming. Let us invest in farming and give something to farmers to help them to bring us a greener environment. The Government must stop always coming down on farmers with all the legislation and regulations. Would it not be better to improvise and give them something to go forward?

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