Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I understand, from the debate on Committee Stage, that the intent behind the amendment is for the complete removal of the ex officiomembers from the climate change advisory council, an issue to which Members referred to earlier. Such a course of action would not be in our best interests because it would remove the hugely valuable insights that the advisory council would have into the realities and the practicalities of policy implementation here in Ireland. The advisory council has already been established on a non-statutory basis and is operational and working on its various tasks. For the information of the House there is a total of 11 members, four of whom are operating on an ex officiobasis. Seven members of the advisory council, which is the majority, are totally independent. There are already have many environmental experts on the council. The four relevant organisations to which Senators have referred - the Environmental Protection Agency, the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, Teagasc and the Economic and Social Research Institute - between them have a wealth of talent, expertise and corporate infrastructure available to them in order to allow them to lend assistance to the council, as and when required, and, in particular, where relevant research is concerned. Foregoing this support around the main table would, I believe, do a disservice to the requirements and demands of the low carbon transition agenda.

Senator Norris referred to agriculture and the Teagasc representative specifically. To be fair, Teagasc has been to the forefront in Irish agriculture in developing new innovations and new technologies in farm practices to reduce carbon emissions. It is important to note that. An interesting fact is that methane from cows comes from their burps rather than their flatulence or farts, as the Senator may have suggested.