Pippa Hackett (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. As he will be aware, extraction of peat for the Irish professional horticultural industry in recent years has been challenging from a legal and regulatory perspective. A series of High Court judgments, beginning in the early 2010s, that dealt with peat extraction and lack of compliance across the extraction sector has generated supply challenges 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 €521 million in 2021. The horticultural sector is the fourth largest in agriculture in terms of output value. An estimated 17,600 people are employed in the sector between 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 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, which was commissioned by my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan. The paper sets out a series of joint actions that have been put in place to alleviate the difficulties being faced by horticultural growers dependent on peat as a growing medium. The actions include a range of targeted measures that 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.

Peat is a finite resource and there is an acknowledgement of the need to transition to more sustainable growing media. Indeed, 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 by 2035 at the very latest, provided alternative materials are available. The phasing out of the use of peat by 2030 would align with other climate commitments the Government has made. However, there is also a recognition that a very limited volume of peat may be required for a period in certain sectors, in particular, professional horticulture, until alternatives become available that are affordable and sustainable and meet quality, environmental and productivity requirements for the horticulture sector. My colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and I have 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 led by the Department will support Irish horticultural growers who are dependent on peat until viable alternatives are found. The Department is also funding two sustainability research projects through the EU producer organisation, PO, scheme for fruit and vegetables. The first project is looking at spent mushroom substrate and how this could be used as a peat replacement material within the wider horticulture sector. The second project is investigating the sustainable replacement of peat in mushroom casing material. This support is being reflected in ongoing shelf and house trials on peat alternatives, and good progress is being reported by industry.

See this speech in context