“Our government has driven us to import peat stocks, with all the negative environmental implications this brings. We are being placed in an impossible situation.” This is according to the Kildare Growers group who has warned that the Irish horticulture industry may face a “disastrous season ahead” as pressure increases due to a lack of supplies.
Chair of the Kildare Growers, Larry Doran says we have already reduced our peat usage by 30% using wood fibre which clearly demonstrates our commitment to using feasible alternatives. There has since been added discussions on food security and the importance of home-grown food and crops in order to alleviate the current crisis facing the country. According to the group the amount required for the Irish horticultural industry is 0.12% of total peatlands nationwide. But Doran claims that farmers are unable to harvest peat to grow their crops and says that Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue has made an ironic statement by urging farmers to grow grain during this period.
The group has called on the Minister to institute immediate emergency legislation regarding this. Doran has reiterated that they want the government to allow farmers immediate access to their own superior local materials until viable alternatives are found.
LSL News.