Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank him for attending. I also thank the Leader, Senator Gallagher and all the other Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael Senators who signed this important Bill. From listening to the Leader, I got a sense of the urgency and frustration around the Bill.

I have worked in the horticulture business all of my life. I worked in the research centre in Kinsealy. Thirty years ago, people were looking at alternatives in the casing of mushrooms. By the way, a mushroom is not a vegetable or a fruit. It is a fungus, and how fungi are treated, grown and nurtured is special. In terms of the sustainability of the mushroom sector, I pay tribute to the Monaghan Deputies and Senators who have advocated strongly for the mushroom sector in Monaghan and the wider Border region, with employers operating in the area North and South.The mushroom industry in Monaghan in particular has been enormously successful. Let us not forget that we export mushrooms to Britain and France, where they are a valued and valuable agrifood crop. This is about jobs. The programme for Government, a tripartite agreement between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Minister of State's own party, the Green Party, talks about growing the horticultural sector and about sustainability in the agrifood sector. This sector, more than any other, relies on milled peat and while there are certain bogs that will never be remediated, some bogs may be able to facilitate some additional milling of peat. I am in favour of saving our bogs; we are all in favour of that. This is not an issue of "them" or "us". This is about a just transition. I think of workers in Kildare, Laois, Offaly and Monaghan that have relied on this industry and that still have no jobs, despite many promises. There is a transition, a plan and a vision but many people have experienced a drop in income. We have a proud mushroom sector that is heavily reliant on peat. I make the case for the mushroom sector over and above the nursery stock sector or other areas of horticulture and forestry because they can get on with loam and other new and innovative materials that can be used for growing plants. We must make a special case for the mushroom sector and we must sustain this industry, particularly in view of where it operates, in the Border and midlands regions. These are two areas that really need jobs.

I ask the Minister of State to publish the report as soon as possible. I am not sure it would be published next week were it not for the fact that this Bill is before the House today. I welcome the fact that he is going to publish it. I also call on the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, as part of a collective Government, to play his part. The Minister is constantly before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine to discuss sustainability, fairness and a just transition. This Bill addresses many of those issues. There is no suggestion that the Bill is proposing a free-for-all in milling. Rather, it proposes that the EPA would monitor milling and harvesting on select bogs under very strict criteria. I support this industry and believe it is vital that everyone supports it. This Bill has given a renewed impetus and has forced the Government to focus on this issue and deliver for the people affected. In that sense, it is a really important Bill which I will support. I had to think about it, long and hard, but to be fair to the communities that are relying on peat and the horticultural sector, we need to support it.

It is also important that an economic impact assessment is carried out on the cumulative economic effect on sales, exports and employment associated with peat and the horticultural sector. That is valid and should happen. I do not suggest that as an option for delay because we have a peat crisis in this country right now. The Minister of State and his party are focusing on small artisan growers and producers of organic food, which must also be taken into account. What is peat? It is neutral, as the Minister of State knows. There is not a lot that will grow in peat but it is a very successful soil conditioner. Teagasc must work to develop an alternative. Why are we not working on the international stage to innovate and bring about success? We know that there is no short-term, sustainable, economically viable alternative as we speak so we need a short-term intervention. This Bill is proposing a relatively short timeframe for the controlled harvesting of peat for the horticultural sector.

I have already referred to the mushroom sector and have spoken about the importance of regional and rural Ireland's reliance on peat. We must address this issue. Like the Minister of State, I believe in rural development and rural opportunities. Today we have an opportunity to send a signal to the rural parts of this country that this is not about a green, urban agenda. This must be about a green, national agenda that includes rural people, small entrepreneurs and those who want to grow sustainable and healthy food.I urge the Minister of State to give a high priority to addressing these issues. I look forward to engaging with him in a meaningful way. I thank the proposers of the Bill.