James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. In my opening statement, I referred to what is happening with the solar development in the Killeagh-Inch area and Mountuniacke, but there are others, north of Midleton, in Leamlara, and Lisgoold, and towards Watergrasshill, more are being proposed in Kilquane around Knockraha. What is also disturbing, as the Minister of State highlighted, is the lack of regulation, which, by the way, really suits the developers. They love it. The famous statement is "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts", but I think one should beware of Greeks bearing opinions. Quite a lot of well-known people in Ireland are working as "lobbyists" with regard to this.

I do not need to remind anyone that a few years ago, Midleton was underwater because of the river flooding, not coastal flooding, that occurred in Midleton town, which damaged more than 900 homes and properties. Up the road, solar farms are being developed and planning permission is being sought in several areas for further expansion of that. It makes no sense. My great fear as a TD is that another flooding event will occur, similar to what happened with Storm Babet, before the flood defences are completed, which will take a number of years because it has to go through the same planning process, but if you want to go up the road and build a bloody solar farm, it is fine. It makes zero sense. As I said, the commentators on this are pretty well-known. Some are former election candidates. They have plenty of opinions. It has to be said in the House under privilege.

When you go across the world, you do not walk into a supermarket in any foreign country and see an Irish solar panel on the shelf. You see our agricultural goods, the best of what we make, especially dairy. If this is allowed to expand at the pace I believe will happen over the course over the next five to ten years, this has the capacity to have a detrimental impact on the country's dairy sector and nobody is talking about it because it is an easy buck. The return for the circular economy is appalling. It makes the landowner and the company wealthy. They sell it off and move on and another asset management firm takes over once it is developed and finished. Somebody has to recognise that for the 169,000 people who work in agrifood in this country.

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