Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for the opportunity to add my voice to this important debate.

The issue of solar farms on prime agricultural land is a critical one in parts of County Waterford. We all see the advantage of solar power, including solar farms and solar on rooftops. Farmers in rural communities are in favour of this and see the advantages and benefits of it. However, we cannot have development of large solar farms on prime agricultural land take place in what is essentially a legislative and guidance vacuum. We need to see guidelines and they need to be based on consultation with stakeholders in rural communities. We need to understand the impact this will have on agriculture as a sector, but also on the family farm into the future.

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