Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I too would like to speak on this important issue. I salute all of the Tidy Towns groups up and down the country, and the angling clubs and game clubs, including those in the three parishes in my area. They do excellent work for habitats through restocking and so on.

I am currently assisting a group of small independent farm plastic recovery operators in circumstances where they perceive the existence of a non-competitive structure and behaviour in the farm plastics recycling sector. We all want to recycle and encourage our young people in this regard. Mol an óige agus tiocfaidh sí and they can teach us an awful lot. Broadly speaking, all suppliers of farm plastic such as silage covers charge a levy on sales to farmers. The purpose of that levy is to fund the recycling of these plastics. The problem for the independent operators, and there are a good few of them, is that 100% of the levy is paid to one company, the Irish Farm Film Producers Group, IFFPG. I am informed that this company is obliged to recycle just 70% of the farm plastics but receives 100% of the levy. Independent contractors, on the other hand, receive no levy and no financial assistance whatsoever. This is very unfair.

A previous speaker referred to the closure of the beet factories. Those closures were a shame. The factory in Tuam was closed first and then Thurles, Carlow and Mallow. Those plants could have been used to do some valuable work. We should be thinking of where we are going.

As I understand it, the charge to the farmers for the levy is currently €140 per tonne. This clearly puts independent operators at a major competitive disadvantage. There are a number of anomalies within the sector, and IFFPG is apparently Ireland's only Government-licensed recycling compliance scheme. A number of independent operators are also licensed to carry out the same activities as the IFFPG such as the collection, washing, storage, baling and onward shipment of farm plastics. The difference appears to be that the independent operators cannot collect the levy. I put it to the Minister that this will cause huge problems and I appeal to the Minister on it. I respect the Minister's bona fides on this. Will he meet me and some of the parties via Zoom to discuss this serious anomaly and the unfairness? The anomaly is that the current structure has the effect of putting independent operators out of business and thereby places the entire farm plastics sector in the hands of one monopoly. Our experience of monopoly in this country is frightening, we see it every day of the week. This is a hugely important issue for the environment. I have an-chara liom, Declan Doocey, fear uasal ó Lios Mór, Contae Phórt Láige, who is being prosecuted at the moment. He has it on stock in his yard and he cannot move it on. I appeal to the Minister to look at the independent contractors. A very good friend of mine is a member of the Barrington family in County Clare. They were trying to collect the plastic, wash and clean it, and manufacture plastic stakes, which is a great idea for greenways and so on because they last forever, while using up the waste plastic, but they got no support. I ask the Minister to look into this, with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and with the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications. I ask the Minister to please meet with this group to discuss this anomaly and this perilous situation the independent are in. They are good people who set up independent businesses themselves and now they are being forced out of business, and are even being prosecuted and intimidated by the big companies.

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