Results 2,681-2,700 of 7,670 for speaker:Jackie Cahill

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Jackie Cahill: On taxation, is it more than 50% of the land area that will not quality for agricultural relief? Is that the issue?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Jackie Cahill: Deputy Leddin has made a proposal that we write to the Minister for Finance requesting that land will qualify for agricultural relief irrespective of the percentage covered by solar panels. Is that agreed?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Jackie Cahill: Power and food were mentioned in an earlier question as qualifying for agricultural relief. I do not see why we should have any limit. The whole farm should qualify as it is providing energy. I would be in favour of looking for full agricultural relief for the land. I cannot see why the ISEA would not look for 100%.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Jackie Cahill: The whole of the land is still actually being farmed-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Jackie Cahill: -----because it is accessible to livestock anyway. I cannot understand why the limitation is there.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Jackie Cahill: The only stipulation I have is that the farm is not benefitting a corporation but is still a family farm structure and that structure is protected, whether it is producing energy or food.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Jackie Cahill: The Deputy has more questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Jackie Cahill: Only a quarter of the land would be covered by the panels. Is that correct?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Jackie Cahill: I visited farms in Germany and I thought that roughly 25% to one third of the land was covered. The rest would be channels.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Jackie Cahill: I thank the witnesses for this informative session. The roadblocks restricting the potential of solar farming could be removed easily enough. We will put Deputy Leddin's proposal to the Minister for Finance and, hopefully, that will remove one of them. Access to the grid is the major stumbling block that we must overcome. If solar farming is to work, whether on land or on roofs, access to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Jackie Cahill: Witnesses giving evidence from within the parliamentary precincts are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence they give to the committee. This means they will have a full defence in any defamation action for anything said at a committee meeting. However, witnesses are expected not to abuse this privilege and may be directed to cease giving evidence on an issue at the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Jackie Cahill: The peak demand for dairy would be for two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening, for milking and cooling the milk. Does that impact the ability of solar panels on a farm to meet the demand? How much extra would it cost to store the electricity?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Jackie Cahill: I noticed that, mind you.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Jackie Cahill: What would that do in respect of a reduction of our emissions-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Jackie Cahill: -----on a percentage basis?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Jackie Cahill: It is significant but it is also economical. My apologies for interrupting Deputy Flaherty.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Jackie Cahill: I call Deputy Carthy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Jackie Cahill: That is a small amount of land.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Jackie Cahill: I said when the last witnesses were leaving that there were a number of roadblocks that could be easily removed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Solar Energy and the Agricultural Industry: Discussion (4 May 2022)

Jackie Cahill: I thank our guests for their input and they were very well researched. Solar companies appeared before our committee before our current witnesses did and they obviously had vested interests. Our present guests, however, were giving an insight from the point of view of the industry, what can be saved and what this can do to meet more emissions targets. Leaving climate change aside...