Joe Flaherty (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate that he is probably restricted in much of what he can say, but he has to understand the frustration being felt across rural Ireland that we have an independent State agency that is seemingly answerable to nobody.

The fourth site to which I refer lies across a number of townlands. The EPA, Longford County Council and everyone living in the areas surrounding the site are aware that there was no peat harvested there from as far back as 2020, and at least 2022. The EPA is aware of that, yet it included the detail in a report. Arising from that report, there was a piece in the Longford Leader which stated, "four sites above 50 hectares - an area of more than 200 hectares in total - has been identified in county Longford with heavy machinery used during industrial type operations." That is totally misleading. It is deeply wrong that the EPA can publish something as flawed as that. It is absolutely incorrect. It was aware that Bord na Móna lawfully operated nine different peatland complexes across 13 counties. It cited that as fact when that is not correct. It also gave export figures in the report which, again, were deeply flawed. It clearly has no insight into or grasp of how those export figures are calculated.

There is deep frustration with the EPA across rural Ireland. We are concerned because it appears that nobody is policing this. A big bone of contention and concern for us in rural Ireland is that we are relying on the EPA to bat for us when we are seeking the retention of our nitrates derogation from the EU. I am adamant that the EPA does not want to hold onto that derogation. It very much has a biased single agenda. It is anti-rural Ireland and anti-farming.