Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I commend Deputy Cahill on raising this matter and allowing me an opportunity to contribute. I thank the Ceann Comhairle for his latitude in this matter.

I raised this matter previously with the Minister of State's party leader, the Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and his answer in respect of the job losses that would be caused to the Monaghan mushroom industry and the associated peat extraction industry was that they will need to diversify. He spoke about solar panels as being one option. The difficulty with solar panels, and there are prospects for that sector, is that we cannot eat them. This is about food production. The truth of the matter is that people will eat the same volume of mushrooms, for example, as they currently do. The question is where those mushrooms will be produced. They will be produced using peat. I fully endorse Deputy Cahill's proposition that the Government needs to consider a mechanism by which peat extraction can be used for essential food production services in this State and I encourage the Minister of State to pursue that matter with full vigour.

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