Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. In her response, she said that an estimated 17,600 people are employed in the sector. If the Government would only listen to the sector, it would realise that it is putting those working in the sector at risk of losing their jobs because of the price of importing peat from 3,000 miles away. As a member of the Green Party, I do not know how the Minister of State and her party can stand over the practice of importing peat from 3,000 miles away. Hundreds of trucks bring peat to ships over there, it is shipped 3,000 miles across the sea, and another few hundred trucks have to pick it up here. We are talking about a minuscule volume of peat required to keep the mushroom and horticultural industries going. The Government is closing the sector down. It does not make any sense. The Government keeps talking about alternatives. Again, I ask the Government to listen to the stakeholders. It is fine to say that there will be alternatives available down the line. The sector is at risk now because the smaller operators cannot afford to import peat. For the bigger operators, the price of importing peat has gone up by 22% from last year. The Department needs to pull it finger out. The Minister of State did not confirm whether the 2,000 tonnes of peat to which I referred is available to the sector. Is that peat there? Has it been assigned to the sector? Alternatives are no good to the 17,600 people who are affected. There will be a furore when big mushroom operators or other horticultural centres start closing down. The Ministers and other politicians will go and get their pictures taken with operators, and will say they are in favour of helping them out. Now is the time to help the sector. I do not know how the Green Party can stand over the practice of importing peat from 3,000 miles away. There is talk about carbon footprints. We all know that things have to change.

It makes no sense that we have a product in this country and we are refusing to let a sector use it by bringing it so far around. Can the Minister of State answer me about the 2,000 tonnes? Is it available to the sector? How soon or at what stage will alternatives be there for that sector?

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