Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Bringing home the turf in rural Ireland has long been considered a necessary and noble task. Ending the cutting of turf is ending a tradition. Irish people hold traditions very dear. I am opposed to an immediate ban on turf cutting. I voted against the Government's position on this issue last week. Most of us in this House know the dangers of global warming. The threat posed by fossil fuels must be addressed. However, in doing so, we are obliged to take stock of the overall picture. This cannot happen overnight. We must allow time for people to change the habits of a lifetime and, more important, to make provisions for the future.

In my native Tipperary we have a village called Littleton. This village and community grew around the operation of the former briquette factory. A large number of locals were employed permanently or part-time at the factory. As part of their terms of employment the workers were entitled to turf and briquettes at a discounted price. As an obvious result, their homes were, and most still are, heated by solid fuel, cookers and back boilers. These households need time to adapt. Now is not the time to force change. Every household is under financial pressure. Money is scarce and budgets are tight. Ability to fund retrofits is constrained. Grant structures for retrofitting requires the applicant to personally contribute a large sum of money. The vast majority of households simply do not have this level of funding available to them. Even if an applicant can meet the qualification criteria, certified tradesmen are overstretched and unavailable. Carrying out such work is not achievable for many families within an enforced time span.

Over the past weeks I have been contacted by numerous people involved in the tradition of saving turf. One man has been cutting turf in Tipperary for over 40 years. Down through the years his family has employed up to 50 people. They sell turf as a single source fuel supply to in excess of 300 homes locally. They are now dealing with the third generation of local families. This man states that the past few weeks have been incredibly difficult for the turf-cutting business. This is due to inconsistent messaging on the future of turf-cutting. I want to quote him to give an accurate reflection of what he and many more are feeling at this time. He says: "On a daily basis, I am receiving calls from customers, many of whom I would consider to be vulnerable. They are expressing serious concerns about their ability to heat their homes. In the context of the current economic situation, in particular wholesale oil and gas prices, if people have to refrain from burning turf, it is likely that many will be unable to obtain an economically viable heat source for their homes." He is pleading with the Government to make this move in a phased manner to avoid a cliff-edge impact on customers and contractors. His business has invested heavily in machinery, tools and equipment. If a swift ban on cutting turf is implemented, it will not only affect the livelihoods of his employees, but will also write off significant investments by contractors across the country.

He cannot be faulted for asking if the Government will offer financial support to them when their businesses are wiped out. Equally, he cannot be blamed for worrying about his customers' ability to transition to an alternative heat source for their homes. It is impossible to explain to people the logic behind imposing costly demands in the middle of the current economic crisis, a time when many are already deciding whether to eat or heat their homes. The time will come when these decisions can be made, but now is not the time to take unilateral decisions that have negative impacts on vulnerable households.

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