Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said that he believes “a pragmatic solution” can be found to introduce regulations that will ban the commercial sale of turf.
Speaking on RTÉ radio on the way into this morning’s Cabinet meeting, Mr Martin pointed out that Dublin had been a “very polluted city environment” in the 1990s, when “smoky coal was all over the place”.
Legislation to ban smoky coal had “a dramatic and transformative impact on the quality of the air that we breathe, and it saved many lives”, he said.
'Pragmatic solution'
Ultimately smoky coal was “the villain, the real enemy” and turf was “dying out as a basic fuel”, added Mr Martin.
“We want to be pragmatic about this and get a solution to the fact that many people in rural Ireland, in parts of the west and midlands, use turf from bogs they have or share with their neighbours.
“It's not proposed to ban that. I think a pragmatic solution will be found.”
Any measures brought in would have an impact next winter, because by the time they were introduced, this year's harvest would already have been brought in, he explained.
Former Minister for Rural and Community development, Mayo TD Michael Ring has described proposed turf cutting restrictions as “the wrong regulations at the wrong time”.
The proposals were “a step too far” for some people, he told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.
It was a “daft” proposal, Eamon Ryan would have to reconsider it as there was now a war situation and people needed turf more than ever, he said.
Now is not the time to do this.
The regulations should be left as they were, people should be allowed cut turf. “Now is not the time to do this. This is a custom. People need their fuel, it cannot be taken from them.”
There were “plenty of ways” to deal with climate change, this was a step too far for people, added Mr Ring. “There will be consequences” he warned.
Green Party Senator Pippa Hackett, Minister of State for Land and Biodiversity told Morning Ireland that the issue was ultimately about air quality and saving people’s lives. “I think the proposals are fair as they stand.”
Senator Hackett said that Mr Ring’s description of the proposals as “daft” was unfortunate since they were intended to save lives.
Thousands of people had died over the last few years because of the failure to bring in such regulations in the past.
The focus would be on air quality problems in urban centres around the country. “Is there ever a right time,” she responded to Mr Ring’s comments. “Any time that saves lives is the right time. It seems it’s always the wrong time for deputies like Michael Ring.”
It was “most likely” that small villages would not be impacted, she said and consultation was ongoing with bodies like Rural Link to determine the exact figures relying on turf as fuel, she said.
