Tipperary TD Martin Browne asked some questions of the Minister of state at the Department of Agriculture Pippa Hackett. The following is the transcript from the floor of the Oireachtas on Wednesday June 15th.
Deputy Martin Browne:
“I am raising this issue for a number of reasons. The first is the fact that workers on the ground within our horticultural sector feel as though decisions on access to horticultural peat have been seen as a done deal. It is felt as though now that the furore over the issue has abated, the Government feels as though it is business as usual and the sector has been left to pick up the pieces and carry on. That was the distinct impression a representative of the sector got after confronting a junior Minister at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine about the issue. The operator felt sidelined and ignored and was more or less told that the Department hoped it had weathered the storm and could move on. In the same way, the working paper compiled by three Departments totally ignored the recommendations of the working group on the use of peat moss in the horticultural industry. That was a pivotal moment, and is the second reason for me raising the matter.
Following a series of delays, the final report of the working group on the use of peat moss in the horticultural industry was published. It was more or less ignored, despite many sensible recommendations being set out in the report. The possibility of developing primary legislation to resolve the dual issues of the planning and harvesting of peat for horticultural purposes has been effectively dismissed, despite the working group's recommendations to do so. Instead, guidance on the regulation of peat extraction in Ireland was to be provided. The working group outlined that growers are reporting that they are being quoted prices for imported peat in 2022 more than 45% more expensive for volume purchasing, and that prices are likely to rise even further for smaller customers. This was ignored as well. At the time, I said that serious questions needed to be answered about whether the three Departments with responsibility for the issue were only ever intent on following their own preconceived plans of action, rather than taking the work of the group chaired by Dr. Munoo Prasad seriously. Those questions were not answered per se, but the response to the report spoke volumes. Research into peat alternatives is all well and good, but when the sector is suddenly left without a stable ingredient, research is of limited benefit, as its needs are immediate. Operators in the sector say that they should have seen the Minister of State's colleagues in the Green Party as natural comrades. Instead, a sector that has offset more carbon than any other was targeted with a brush that gave no recognition whatsoever to the contribution it makes and the potential it has in carbon offsetting. Its needs have been met with the granting of a tiny amount of the area of land traditionally used for peat extraction. Instead, we have seen tonnes of peat imported into this country in a way that expels far more carbon than would ever be needed.
I ask the Minister to State to outline what progress has been made in providing alternatives to the sector. Did the 2,000 tonnes of peat that Bord na Mona stated was to be sold to the highest bidder actually go to the sector? We were told that we had 2,000 tonnes of peat that is suitable for professional growers. Are we starting with the 2,000-tonne stockpile that we were told about? I ask the Minister of State to confirm whether the recommendations of the working group on developing primary legislation to resolve the dual issues of the planning and harvesting of peat for horticultural purposes have been cosigned to history, or whether work to pursue it is happening.”
Minister of StatePippa Hackett - :
“I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. As he will be aware, extraction of peat for the Irish professional horticultural industry in recent years has been challenging from a legal and regulatory perspective. A series of High Court judgments, beginning in the early 2010s, that dealt with peat extraction and lack of compliance across the extraction sector has generated supply challenges for the horticulture sector, which continues to rely on peat as a raw growing material.
I want to highlight the importance of the horticultural sector and its significant contribution to the economy with a farm gate value of almost €521 million in 2021. The horticultural sector is the fourth largest in agriculture in terms of output value. An estimated 17,600 people are employed in the sector between primary level and value added downstream. Approximately 60% of the value of Irish horticulture is dependent on peat as a growth medium with the mushroom, amenity and soft fruit sectors being most reliant.
The working paper to address challenges related to peat supply in the horticulture sector was put in place by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in conjunction with the Departments of Environment, Climate and Communications, and Housing, Local Government and Heritage following the publication of the Final Report of the Working Group on the Use of Peat Moss in the Horticultural Industry, which was commissioned by my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan. The paper sets out a series of joint actions that have been put in place to alleviate the difficulties being faced by horticultural growers dependent on peat as a growing medium. The actions include a range of targeted measures that reflect the multifaceted nature of the problem and the subsequent need for short-, medium- and long-term solutions. These actions were developed to address the short-term issue of peat supply, the medium-term issue of future access to peat and the longer-term issue of replacement with alternatives. The ultimate ambition is to support the horticulture industry, the people employed and the many families that depend on this important sector.
Peat is a finite resource and there is an acknowledgement of the need to transition to more sustainable growing media. Indeed, most amenity horticulture growers are now using reduced peat levels in growing substrate, where the peat is blended with material such as bark fibre at levels of between 10% and 30%. I welcome the general agreement across the horticulture industry that the use of peat should be phased out by 2030 or by 2035 at the very latest, provided alternative materials are available. The phasing out of the use of peat by 2030 would align with other climate commitments the Government has made. However, there is also a recognition that a very limited volume of peat may be required for a period in certain sectors, in particular, professional horticulture, until alternatives become available that are affordable and sustainable and meet quality, environmental and productivity requirements for the horticulture sector. My colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and I have continued to highlight the importance of transitional peat supply and to assist in considering solutions to this issue. In doing so, the working paper and associated actions led by the Department will support Irish horticultural growers who are dependent on peat until viable alternatives are found. The Department is also funding two sustainability research projects through the EU producer organisation, PO, scheme for fruit and vegetables. The first project is looking at spent mushroom substrate and how this could be used as a peat replacement material within the wider horticulture sector. The second project is investigating the sustainable replacement of peat in mushroom casing material. This support is being reflected in ongoing shelf and house trials on peat alternatives, and good progress is being reported by industry.”
Deputy Martin Browne
“I thank the Minister of State. In her response, she said that an estimated 17,600 people are employed in the sector. If the Government would only listen to the sector, it would realise that it is putting those working in the sector at risk of losing their jobs because of the price of importing peat from 3,000 miles away. As a member of the Green Party, I do not know how the Minister of State and her party can stand over the practice of importing peat from 3,000 miles away. Hundreds of trucks bring peat to ships over there, it is shipped 3,000 miles across the sea, and another few hundred trucks have to pick it up here. We are talking about a minuscule volume of peat required to keep the mushroom and horticultural industries going. The Government is closing the sector down. It does not make any sense. The Government keeps talking about alternatives. Again, I ask the Government to listen to the stakeholders. It is fine to say that there will be alternatives available down the line. The sector is at risk now because the smaller operators cannot afford to import peat. For the bigger operators, the price of importing peat has gone up by 22% from last year. The Department needs to pull it finger out. The Minister of State did not confirm whether the 2,000 tonnes of peat to which I referred is available to the sector. Is that peat there? Has it been assigned to the sector? Alternatives are no good to the 17,600 people who are affected. There will be a furore when big mushroom operators or other horticultural centres start closing down. The Ministers and other politicians will go and get their pictures taken with operators, and will say they are in favour of helping them out. Now is the time to help the sector. I do not know how the Green Party can stand over the practice of importing peat from 3,000 miles away. There is talk about carbon footprints. We all know that things have to change.
It makes no sense that we have a product in this country and we are refusing to let a sector use it by bringing it so far around. Can the Minister of State answer me about the 2,000 tonnes? Is it available to the sector? How soon or at what stage will alternatives be there for that sector?”
Minister of StatePippa Hackett
“I assure the Deputy that we certainly accept his concerns and those he has raised for the sector. I am acutely aware of the key importance of the professional horticulture sector and he has highlighted the significant number of jobs and value to our economy. I want to assure him that the Government is working as a priority to assist the horticulture industry in resolving these issues.
I cannot speak for Bord na Móna and its supplies but this is one of the aspects the working paper will examine in terms of available supply to the horticulture sector. With regard to the Deputy's queries on importation, I understand we are still a net exporter of peat in this country. Perhaps there is some engagement we should have with those exporters to ask them to maybe not export and keep it in this country to secure the horticulture sector here.
The legal and regulatory issues cannot be ignored. We get in difficulty a lot in this country by breaching regulations and rules in the EU and beyond. Horticulture has gotten caught up in this. As I said, however, I recognise that the sector itself realises that it must transition away from peat. It is finite; we only have a certain volume of it and we need to preserve as much of that as possible in the ground. Having said that, however, we are working hard as a Government. I am working with my Government colleagues. We are working hard in the Department on the working paper. We have put in place independent experts to assist us with that. I hope that in due course we will have some answers. I accept the frustrations are there but we are very cognisant of them.”
Deputy Martin Browne
“One of the biggest things the Minister of State could do is actually listen to the sector and try to engage with it.”
