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

In the Minister's own words, it is time for rural Ireland to have an input into climate action changes. It is time the Government had representatives of rural living, which is 37%, at Cabinet. It is time the people knew the truth about what the Minister wants to achieve, which he said on national television in October 2019, that 30 cars are adequate for 3,000 families who live in towns, villages and rural areas in Ireland, and that we can cycle and walk to collection points to collect cars. Those are the Minister's words in 2019. The Government is spending €4.5 billion on infrastructure in Dublin. There are people who have no choice and the Minister is spending their money from fuel taxation on infrastructure in Dublin. There are 25 other counties which, if that €4.5 billion were spent on infrastructure, it would reduce the emissions in Ireland. It is time that people stood up in our towns and villages, and those who are from the towns and villages who moved to Dublin and other parts of the country stood up for the culture and heritage they came from.

Ireland generates only 0.1% of global CO2 emissions according to world trading data. Asia counts for 54% and that is increasing. According to the EPA, agriculture in Ireland is the biggest contributor of emissions at 34%. Methane amounts to 53% of agriculture emissions. The Government's solution is to cut the herd by 51% by 2030, a very simple solution. This could amount to 3.4 million cattle being extracted from the total herd. How can any Minister think this is the right thing to do? Is the agricultural community happy with this solution? I think not. The IFA president, Tim Cullinan, is looking for methane to be treated differently, as has been done in New Zealand. The ICMSA and the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association, ICSA, are very concerned about the level of reduction demanded of agriculture.

I spoke to Mr. Thomas Duffy, the outgoing president of Macra na Feirme, and he told me he is calling for supports for large and small farmers to encourage them to get involved in biodigesters. I encourage each of the farming groups and the agricultural entrepreneurs to get involved in the new consultation process, which will be open for the next eight weeks, make their point to the Minister and let the Government know how they feel about the strategy for the next ten years.

The farmers should not be fooled about a case being made for methane emissions. It is not in the Bill and it is not being treated separately, even though we have asked for this. There are no sectoral exemptions in this Bill. The solution is in the problem. We should invest in renewables plants. The agricultural community is involved in the extraction of methane from slurry pits and this can be used as a replacement for fossil fuels, producing gas for heating. The gas is stored in a biodigester and, after processing, it is sold to the national grid. I realise it takes time and money but farmers need to be supported in this regard and not given empty promises. This initiative is not new and has brought in major investors from Northern Ireland, Germany and other countries. There are several such examples of innovation around this country and they certainly should be welcomed and supported in a real and meaningful way to cut out carbon emissions. We are setting records all right in that the Government will not be happy until Ireland is the dearest place to heat a home. Customers are currently facing a hike of €200 for a fill of oil, and the price of a bag of coal is to increase by €8. Our electricity cost is going up year on year.

If this Bill is enacted, Ireland will spend billions of euro only to find out that climate change will get worse over the same period. For instance, did the Minister know that a recent study at Oxford University has proved again that farmed fish produce more methane gas than cows? The former Fine Gael Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Coveney, told the farmers of Ireland to double their herd, and now the Government is advocating a 30% increase for fish farms although they have a higher methane emissions rate.

Other factors that could support the reduction of emissions are supporting the suckler herd and reducing the finishing age of animals, which could be brought down. One of the easiest solutions would be to encourage the use of sexed semen and not produce bulls. We need supports for low emissions slurry spreading.

It is not all about agriculture. Transport in the private sector has seen little investment, which has an impact in rural areas. We are still fighting for bus links, intercity buses and train services. I often get the impression from urban dwellers that they believe rural people go to work by car just for fun. A reality check is required. There is no other way to go to work, school or college. Why are our third level colleges' car parks full? It is because of a lack of infrastructure. Enterprise in rural areas needs to be encouraged so jobs will be localised, thus keeping down transport emissions. Again, there is a lack of infrastructure.

My colleagues in the Rural Independent Group and I will stand up for rural Ireland and family farms with a climate action Bill. We want food safety for ourselves and our children but we also need sustainable living for our families and farms. We will challenge the Government and rigorously scrutinise and debate every line of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill to protect the interests of every rural family in Ireland. The Bill is riddled with hypocrisy and doublespeak. This Government is committed to making Ireland the first country in the world to be carbon free by 2030. This is utter spin. The Rural Independent Group is now asking people all over Ireland, both rural and urban, to lobby their Deputies to protect our culture, heritage and livelihoods by supporting us and amending the Bill.

The people of Ireland, be they in a city, town or rural area, should note that this Bill is being produced by people who are city based and who do not understand farming or rural living. A perfect example is what I pointed out at the very start. It is time the Minister came to rural Ireland and moved in for a week. It was done before with "Livin' with Lucy". The Minister would have a different concept if he had to get up in the morning. We will ask him to cycle down to collect his car and when he does, it will not be there because somebody else will have it gone. The Minister's mentality is as it is because he knows no better. He lives in a city in which he can walk out his front door and get a taxi and walk to a shop within two minutes of where he is. He can get any type of transport he likes within the city in minutes, and he can cycle his bike on a cycle lane. What is happening is happening because he does not understand rural living. The lack of infrastructure that could be put in place represents a failure on the part of the current and previous governments. All the people in rural Ireland could help to bring down emissions but they have to burn fuel to get to work because of the failure of the current and previous Governments to provide infrastructure in rural Ireland. That is a reality check for the Minister and he should listen to us.

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