Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Carthy for raising this important matter, which I am happy to take on behalf of the Minister, Deputy McConalogue. As the Deputy is aware, extraction of peat for the Irish professional horticultural industry in recent years has been challenging from both a legal and regulatory perspective. A series of High Court judgments, beginning in the early 2010s, which dealt with peat extraction and lack of compliance across the extraction sector, has generated supply challenges, both in respect of volume and price, for the horticulture sector which continues to rely on peat as a raw growing material.

I want to highlight the importance of the horticultural sector and its significant contribution to the economy, with a farm gate value of almost €469 million in 2020. The horticultural sector is the fourth largest sector in agriculture in terms of output value. An estimated 17,600 people are employed in the sector in both primary level and value added downstream. Approximately 60% of the value of Irish horticulture is dependent on peat as a growth medium, with the mushroom, amenity and soft fruit sectors being most reliant.

The working paper to address challenges related to peat supply in the horticulture sector was put in place by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, in conjunction with the Departments of the Environment, Climate and Communications and Housing, Local Government and Heritage, following the publication of the final report of the working group on the use of peat moss in the horticultural industry. The paper sets out a series of joint actions which have been put in place to alleviate the difficulties being faced by horticultural growers who are dependent on peat as a growing medium. The actions include a range of targeted measures which reflect the multifaceted nature of the problem and the subsequent need for short-, medium- and long-term solutions. These actions were developed to address the short-term issue of peat supply, the medium-term issue of future access to peat and the longer term issue of replacement with alternatives. The ultimate ambition is to support the horticulture industry, the people employed and the many families that depend on this important sector.

As we know, peat is a finite resource and there is an acknowledgement of the need to transition to more sustainable growing media. Most amenity horticulture growers are now using reduced peat levels in growing substrate, where the peat is blended with material such as bark fibre at levels of between 10% and 30%. I welcome the general agreement across the horticulture industry that the use of peat should be phased out by 2030, or 2035 at the latest, providing alternative materials where available. However, there is also a recognition that a very limited amount of peat may be required for a period in certain sectors, in particular, professional horticulture, until alternatives are available, affordable and sustainable and meet quality, environmental and productivity requirements for the horticulture sector. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine has continued to highlight the importance of transitional peat supply and to assist in considering solutions to this issue. In doing so, the working paper and associated actions put in place, led by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, will support Irish horticultural growers who are dependent on peat until viable alternatives are found. The Deputy mentioned the implementation of the working paper. Progress has been made on the implementation of the actions in the working paper to address challenges related to horticultural peat supply.

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