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Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Collection and Recycling of Farm Plastics: Discussion (29 Jun 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: We had a different ball game even at the previous meeting.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Collection and Recycling of Farm Plastics: Discussion (29 Jun 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: With regard to the IFFPG, how many farming groups are represented on the board?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Collection and Recycling of Farm Plastics: Discussion (29 Jun 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Are there more farming groups around the country? Would it not be good to involve them? I am looking at the make-up of the board. In fairness to the IFA, there are six from the industry, two from the farming organisations and two independent members. Is it not heavily loaded with plastics experts as against representatives of the farmers who are paying all the money at both ends? The...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Collection and Recycling of Farm Plastics: Discussion (29 Jun 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: If the farmers are paying the money, which they are and there is no point in saying they are not, would it not be fair to them to have equal representation at least when the price for plastics is set each year? On top of that, they should have an input when they are paying at the beginning and the end. Does Mr. Moloney agree?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Collection and Recycling of Farm Plastics: Discussion (29 Jun 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: My next question might be more for the departmental officials. In fairness to Mr. Moloney, I asked at the previous meeting about plastic coming in across the Border. It is hard to put a figure on that, which I understand fully. I assume he will agree that it would be a worthwhile exercise for the Department to look into that. We need to know how much plastic is in storage all around the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Collection and Recycling of Farm Plastics: Discussion (29 Jun 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I thank Mr. Moloney for answering my questions.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Collection and Recycling of Farm Plastics: Discussion (29 Jun 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I wish to come in here. I have to put this point on the record. I have reported it to the Chairman. On the Monday morning, two days after our previous meeting, I got a telephone call one hour before the next meeting from a person alleging to be Mr. Walker saying that his contract was terminated. I need to put that on the record. You are aware of it, Chairman, as I told you about it. I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Collection and Recycling of Farm Plastics: Discussion (29 Jun 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I do not know how it could be three weeks after when someone rang me two days later. I have the telephone records. They are easily got. I made the Chairman aware of what happened allegedly one hour before our meeting.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Collection and Recycling of Farm Plastics: Discussion (29 Jun 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I am keen to get an answer to this for the record. Is is Mr. Moloney saying that on the day he was at our committee meeting there was no telephone call between him and Mr. Walker?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Collection and Recycling of Farm Plastics: Discussion (29 Jun 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: That is grand.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Collection and Recycling of Farm Plastics: Discussion (29 Jun 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I have a text stating that Mr. Walker is supposed to be somewhere in Leinster House. Are you aware of that, Chairman?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Collection and Recycling of Farm Plastics: Discussion (29 Jun 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: May I clarify one matter? There is an onus on me to clarify the position. Mr. Walker must have been suffering from divine inspiration. I can go back over my phone records to check but it was either a day or two days beforehand because he told me he was going to hospital. He must have received divine inspiration that this was going to happen, but he got the phone call an hour before the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Collection and Recycling of Farm Plastics: Discussion (29 Jun 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Will the Chairman put the following two questions to Mr. Walker? What tonnage of plastic is-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Collection and Recycling of Farm Plastics: Discussion (29 Jun 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I will be brief because I know our time is short. I thank Mr. Walker for coming before us. I want to clarify some comments arising from what previous witnesses have said. Mr. Walker contacted me from his hospital bed and apologised to me because it could have been a Saturday or Friday night. He said it was late but I told him it was no problem. That was a day or two days after the first...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Collection and Recycling of Farm Plastics: Discussion (29 Jun 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: It was stated earlier that it does not make much difference if waste is amber or green. Is there a fair difference in price in the export of such waste?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Collection and Recycling of Farm Plastics: Discussion (29 Jun 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: It has been stated that there are 1,000 tonnes of IFFPG plastics in Mr. Walker's yard. Is that correct? What is there to be removed and who owns what?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Collection and Recycling of Farm Plastics: Discussion (29 Jun 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Okay. In Mr. Walker's opinion, what is the way forward for the plastics industry in order to ensure we can cater for the amount of plastic, especially with the restrictions that are to be introduced on plastics use and all of that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Collection and Recycling of Farm Plastics: Discussion (29 Jun 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I will let in other Deputies as we only have 15 minutes for this.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Collection and Recycling of Farm Plastics: Discussion (29 Jun 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: Could Mr. Walker address the problem with the 20 containers that went out in order to clarify the position?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Collection and Recycling of Farm Plastics: Discussion (29 Jun 2021)

Michael Fitzmaurice: I thank the Department officials for appearing before the committee. What Mr. McDonald clarified for Senator Paul Daly is that next week, any corporate body can apply to the Department and become a system operator. Is that correct?