Worsening Peat Crisis is of the Government's Making
Aontú has called on the Government to get real on the worsening Peat Crisis which they say is putting the 2022 growing season in jeopardy. Aontú leader and Meath TD Peadar Tóibín stated;
I have met with representatives of the Irish Horticultural Industry. They are deeply concerned at the gathering perfect storm within their sector. So serious is the crisis that the growing season of 2022 is in doubt. This in itself will at to the inflation pressures for families ion the shops. The ban of peat harvesting, the cost of imported peat from Eastern Europe and the increased transportation costs, are hammering the sector. Many businesses are fighting for survival. Many are shedding jobs in rural areas where jobs are in short supply. Most in the sector are aghast at the complete inaction of the government”.
“The findings of the Working Group have been ignored. The Just Transition exists only in the rhetoric of the government. Its completely absent on the ground. Proposals for an adequate phasing out period have been ignored. Available peat from Bord na Móna is not sufficient for 1 months of production never mind the whole year. What we are dealing with here is ideological naivety from the Greens and a total lack of practical realism. Eastern European Peat has higher CO2 impact when you include transportation emissions. Peat substitution materials are not of the standard yet to do the jobs. We have plenty of huffing and puffing from rural FF and FG TDs. We need real action now.
