Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am delighted to get this opportunity to talk about the challenges that are facing us and the result of COP27. I am a farmer and proud of it. Thankfully, the next generation has gone into partnership with me. With every sinew of energy that I have, I will fight to protect rural Ireland and our production base. Yes, we have to meet the challenges of climate change, but if that hinders our ability to produce food for the world in a sustainable manner, we are failing in meeting that challenge.

Last week in Tipperary, we had two very good news stories as regards climate change. First, we got planning permission for the Lisheen by-products campus, which is adjacent to the old Lisheen Mine. This is a major step forward for us. I believe in a just transition for rural Ireland that sees climate-friendly policies and practices that are both economically and environmentally sustainable being adopted. With industries like this, we are proving the important role that rural Ireland and the agricultural industry must and will play as we fight climate change while also enjoying spinoffs of local and rural employment. This facility will create 30 jobs. It will also produce renewable electricity for 33,000 homes. It will reduce our emissions by 0.3%. That might seem small, but it is through small steps that we will reach our emissions targets. This campus will use waste from the agrifood industry as well as brown bin waste. To me, industries like this are the way forward. I have been working on this for a number of years.

Also this week, there was an announcement of €1 million for the national bioeconomy campus again on the Lisheen site. Professor Kevin O’Connor and his team in UCD are constantly coming up with initiatives and technology to help the agrifood industry meet its targets and I was delighted that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine gave €1 million to that campus this week. That site in Lisheen has unique characteristics and zoning. We also need a master plan for that site, and I ask the Minister to use his influence at the Cabinet table to get funding for a master plan for that Lisheen site. I am certain that more industries will follow, in the same way that the bioeconomy industry was announced this week, with technology that will help us in our battle to reduce our emissions.

We put €90 million aside in the budget this year to put solar panels on farm buildings. That needs to be extended to any emission savings that can be done on farms, whether that is through the aeration of slurry tanks, putting rubbers on slats etc.

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Numerous initiatives are now coming forward that can reduce emissions at farm level without impacting on the ability of the farm to produce food. I urge the Minister to extend the scheme for solar panels on farm buildings announced in the budget to other technologies to allow us to reach our 25% target without hindering our ability to produce.

I am the Chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine. I will refer to peat and our inability to issue licences for its harvesting. If we are going to meet the challenges of climate change, everyone has to bat together and be on the one side. It is inconceivable that we are failing to give licences to harvest peat for the horticulture industry, a homegrown industry that produces food in a natural way, is an example of the circular economy and involves nurseries, mushroom producers and so on. All that is needed to supply peat for the industry is 0.1% of our bogs. Despite assurances from various Ministers the situation was going to be sorted out, we have consistently failed and left our horticulture and nursery industry to import peat from other countries in Europe. That does nothing for us economically and it most definitely does nothing to reduce our emissions. Legislation is in place to allow peat to be cut on bogs smaller than 30 ha but we are not able to get licences issued. I urge the Minister to use his influence at the Cabinet table to get that issue sorted out. It will benefit everyone in trying to meet our targets.

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