Pippa Hackett (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I assure the Deputy that we certainly accept his concerns and those he has raised for the sector. I am acutely aware of the key importance of the professional horticulture sector and he has highlighted the significant number of jobs and value to our economy. I want to assure him that the Government is working as a priority to assist the horticulture industry in resolving these issues.

I cannot speak for Bord na Móna and its supplies but this is one of the aspects the working paper will examine in terms of available supply to the horticulture sector. With regard to the Deputy's queries on importation, I understand we are still a net exporter of peat in this country. Perhaps there is some engagement we should have with those exporters to ask them to maybe not export and keep it in this country to secure the horticulture sector here.

The legal and regulatory issues cannot be ignored. We get in difficulty a lot in this country by breaching regulations and rules in the EU and beyond. Horticulture has gotten caught up in this. As I said, however, I recognise that the sector itself realises that it must transition away from peat. It is finite; we only have a certain volume of it and we need to preserve as much of that as possible in the ground. Having said that, however, we are working hard as a Government. I am working with my Government colleagues. We are working hard in the Department on the working paper. We have put in place independent experts to assist us with that. I hope that in due course we will have some answers. I accept the frustrations are there but we are very cognisant of them.

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