Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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34. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures he will introduce as a matter of urgency to ensure that there is an adequate supply of domestic peat for the mushroom and horticulture sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60783/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I am very well aware of the concerns in relation to the availability of peat which are generating challenges (volume and price) for the horticulture sector. As the Deputy knows, my Department is not involved in the regulation of peat extraction.

Minister for Heritage and Electoral Reform in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Malcolm Noonan T.D., established a working group to address the key issues relating to the use of peat moss in the Horticultural Industry. A final report from this working group is, I understand, due to be published in the coming period.

Officials in my Department continue to engage with officials in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Department for Environment, Climate and Communications who are lead departments in terms of regulation of peat abstraction with a view to addressing supply constraints for the domestic horticulture industry.

Separately, my Department is actively looking at alternatives to peat and has funded two research projects to date under the Producer Organisation Scheme with further applications for funding under the 2022 Operational Programme being considered by my officials.

Furthermore, I am happy to say that under the Department’s Research Call for 2021, a Teagasc research proposal into growing media alternatives, “Beyond Peat” was approved in recent days for a grant of over €1.69 million in research funding. The primary objective of the ‘Beyond Peat’ proposal is to provide a clear and independent scientific assessment on the alternative materials to fully or partially replace peat usage in the professional horticulture in Ireland. The ‘Beyond Peat’ proposal is in addition to ongoing research by Teagasc supporting the transition from peat based mushroom casing materials to more sustainable alternatives.