Mark Wall (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am not quoting the Minister of State on that but on the whole issue, which is why we need three Ministers. I accept that he did not say that but I quoted him correctly in terms of the exemption from peat extraction. We need three Ministers to debate these matters because, as my colleagues have said, different versions have come from sections of the Government, which is always difficult to deal with when one must deal with the people that I encounter on the ground.

I am aware of the current problems with the proposed peat alternatives not just from environmental concerns but from growing concerns about their economic viability. I am aware of the commitment of growers and peat users to continue to reduce the amount of peat that they use over time and to embrace and test alternatives. However, they must be given time to embrace these changes. Depending on foreign harvested peat and simply pretending that it is okay because it is not harvested in Ireland is simply not good enough. That ignores the environmental impact of imports and does not give enough time to trial alternatives that could work from an environmental and economic viewpoint.

As mentioned here, the Department has estimated that the horticulture industry is worth €477 million as the farm gate value. As the Minister of State has mentioned, that figure is higher than the amount generated from the sheep and cereal industries in this country.

I live 3 miles from the Bord na Móna plant at Kilberry, which is just outside the town of Athy. It is a peat processing plant and the workforce has already been cut in half. As 40 jobs already have gone, where will that number of jobs come from again for a rural village like Kilberry? Where can these workers seek work? Realistically, the only way they can achieve work is by getting into their cars and commuting, which will add to the carbon footprint generated by this decision.

The plant at Kilberry is one of the plants that accept green waste. It is also investigating alternatives to peat production but I am sure that the research will require an investment in new machinery. Given that the success of these alternatives still is very much up in the air, will investment for research be forthcoming? It is a huge question for everyone who remains working in the plant. Plants like the one at Kilberry suffer because there was no proper discussion throughout this industry and small rural areas like Kilberry will suffer further job losses. Those living in the area have contacted me to express their concerns after they read reports in local Westmeath newspapers on the importation of shipments of peat from Latvia. To further compound the issue, I am told that there is a shortage of peat on the European market and orders for product that were placed by growers have been refused.

As the Minister of State has mentioned, we await a report from the consultation group and he stated that the date is now 20 October. As I understand the departmental officials have had more than 12 meetings with horticultural growers, it is now time for a solution to be reached.

A situation has developed where the Irish horticultural sector is now dependent on horticultural peat being imported from abroad, which has the potential to be devastating for the 17,000 people employed in the sector. The current situation will also reduce the economic benefit the sector brings to the Irish economy and the wider environment. There is no doubt that everybody involved in the industry realises that an infinite resource is not available. There also can be no doubt that in the midlands where I live, there is a need for more time and for our own peat to be used. Many of my neighbours are horrified that we import peat from Latvia while our own peat lies in the ground. Many more people are looking outside of their local area for jobs and such jobs will involve travel.

Those involved in this industry who depend on peat understand the aspiration to end the use of horticultural peat. They have told me they are more than willing to be involved in finding long-term solutions that meet this aspiration but all of this needs time. There must be a period of overlap where we can use Irish peat, albeit in an emergency. I have no problem supporting such a move and it is preferable to importing thousands of tonnes of peat at an environmental cost. This time, and hopefully peat will be processed only in emergencies, we must come up with economical and environmentally-friendly alternatives. As far as I can see that would be acceptable to all those who are involved in this industry and would protect as many jobs as possible in the midlands area.