Dáil debates

Tuesday, 25 October 2022

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions

Horticulture Sector

11:50 pm

Photo of Martin BrowneMartin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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72. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his proposals to ensure an adequate supply of horticultural peat to the mushroom sector, with reference to the recent report on the horticultural sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53173/22]

Photo of Martin BrowneMartin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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We have come around to this again today. I want to express my own frustration as well as that of people in the mushroom industry, producers and the wider horticulture industry at what they see as the inaction of three Departments on the issue of horticultural peat. There seems to be a continued failure to even acknowledge some of the recommendations within numerous reports or to ensure access to the minimum amount, 1%, while alternatives are being developed.

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Senator Pippa Hackett):

I thank the Deputy for the question. Last year, as he is probably aware, I commissioned a KPMG report to identify the challenges and opportunities for the horticulture sector. The report referred to by the Deputy in his question, "Opportunities for the Irish horticulture sector", was published in July this year. The report identifies the sector's dependence on peat as a threat in the SWOT analysis and the research challenge to finding alternative growing media. The report also proposes actions to address this and other cross-cutting challenges to the sector.

Additional actions were taken to address peat supply in horticulture, arising from a working paper published on 20 January 2022 by my Department in conjunction with the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. This working paper outlines a series of actions to support horticultural growers who are dependent on peat as a growing medium. The aim of these actions was to address the short-term issue of supply, the medium-term issue of future access to peat and also the longer-term issue of replacement with alternatives for all sectors within horticulture, including mushrooms.

In terms of short-term action for my Department on peat supply, Mr. Séamus Boland was commissioned to carry out a report on peat supply. A final version of his report has just recently been received by my Department and is due for publication shortly. On medium-term action relating to access to peat, Mr. Des Johnson and Mr. Padraig Thornton were commissioned to carry out a report on the planning requirements for peat extraction on sub-30 ha bogs. A final report of this work has also been received by my Department and will also be published shortly. The longer-term action for my Department requires research into alternatives to peat. Some €1.69 million was awarded by my Department for a research project, Beyond Peat. The project is co-ordinated by Teagasc, with project partners across Ireland. The project aims to identify full and partial replacements for peat within professional horticulture. The project is progressing well and to schedule. Separately, research projects on peat alternatives continue to be approved by my Department under the EU producer organisation scheme for fruit and vegetables. Trials are ongoing in this area.

Photo of Martin BrowneMartin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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Part of the problem is that all these reports, surveys and the whole lot are going no place. I am quite sure the Minister of State will have watched the committee meeting on 7 October or someone will have informed her what happened there. There is deep frustration in the sector because of the lack of the three Departments working together. We have been looking for months for the three Departments to come in front of the agriculture committee and we still cannot even get a meeting with them. The Minister of State can imagine the frustration of those in the industry who are depending on them to come together. There are thousands of jobs at risk. There just does not seem to be any rush with the Government.

The Minister of State can quote the KPMG report but the report said that in the short term there is still need for domestic peat until alternatives are available. There is another report just sitting on a desk that is no good for anything. At the same time, we have a Green Party in government that is allowing 200 trucks load a ship 3,000 miles away, bring the peat across and allow another 200 trucks to unload it here and distribute it around the country. So much for the carbon footprint.

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Senator Pippa Hackett):

I would like to assure the Deputy that we are fully aware of the issues in respect of horticultural peat and the difficulty it is causing the sector. It is worth saying that currently there is no indication that supplies for the domestic horticulture sector will run out for either amenity horticulture or the mushroom sector. As the Deputy is aware, they require two distinct types of peat. Supply is being sourced within Ireland and is also being imported. It is worth drawing some attention to the CSO figures in respect of peat imports and exports. While they do not differentiate between the types of peat, between January and December 2020 we imported about - I cannot work it out - 10,000 or 10 million tonnes of peat - and we exported nearly 990,000 tonnes of peat. We exported 90 times more than we imported. In 2021, we imported 46,000 tonnes of peat and exported 579,000 tonnes. This year between January and July we imported 26,000 tonnes of peat and exported 260,000 tonnes of peat.

Photo of Martin BrowneMartin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister of State can give me all the figures she likes. We have had committee meeting after committee meeting with the sector and they are telling us they are in trouble for lack of peat here. The Minister of State talked about the sub-30 ha bogs. There has been no action there, according to the stakeholders. What can the Department do? Without the co-operation of the three Departments involved, everything is at a standstill. Where we are looking at it as a committee and from listening to the stakeholders, everything is at a standstill waiting for the three Departments to bang their heads together. Is it now the policy that instead of the three Departments working together, the mushroom sector and horticultural sector will be forced to continue to import peat? Imported peat from the Baltic states is now €26 per cubic metre whereas last year it was €16. Even the cost involved is going to drive companies out of business and the sector is a major employer in this country. There needs to be an awful lot more done.

Photo of Catherine ConnollyCatherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I will allow Deputy Carthy to come in before the Minister of State responds.

Photo of Matt CarthyMatt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Just to say to the Minister of State in respect of the export figures she is quoting, a large proportion of that includes all-Ireland trade which is not actually quantified because the Government does not identify it. If the Government has a real issue with exports, ban the export of peat from the island of Ireland. It will have the full support of my party in that respect. Here is the crux. Every player in the sector has told us that they are facing an existential crisis. I welcome the works that have been ongoing trying to identify alternatives to peat. The very fact that the Government is investing money in trying to find those alternatives is an acknowledgement in itself that the alternatives are not currently there. The only alternative that exists is the importation of peat from other parts of the world where we have no oversight in respect of the regulation. I have to say to the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, that he has to take ownership of this issue. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is playing games. The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications is playing games. It will require a ministerial lead in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to grab this issue by the scruff of the neck.

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Senator Pippa Hackett):

My Department and my role as Minister of State with responsibility for horticulture is to the horticultural growers of this country.

Photo of Matt CarthyMatt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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They are telling us they are in crisis.

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Senator Pippa Hackett):

We have no jurisdiction on planning. We have tried to extend out supports in terms of recruiting planners to help across the board and maybe get that collaboration that is so needed across the Departments. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has no role in the extraction of peat whatsoever. What we do have a role in is supporting-----

Photo of Matt CarthyMatt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Tell that to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage because it pointed to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Senator Pippa Hackett):

I appreciate that and agree that we need a collaborative approach across the Departments. However, it is not as straightforward as just allowing a free-for-all extraction of peat.

Photo of Matt CarthyMatt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Absolutely.

Photo of Martin BrowneMartin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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All the more reason that the three Departments have to come together. The sector is in serious trouble.

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Senator Pippa Hackett):

The sector at the moment, as I said in my second answer, is not under direct pressure and there is no indication that supply of peat for domestic horticulture is due to run out in the short term.

Photo of Matt CarthyMatt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Does the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, stand over those comments?