Danny Healy-Rae attacks EPA and government over turf bans
Danny Healy-Rae addresses the committee to criticise the EPA and the government over restrictions on turf cutting and delays in approvals. He warns the current approach risks livelihoods, food security and forces reliance on expensive imports.
Main points: Danny Healy-Rae argues that local turf cutting has been a long-standing practice and that regulatory decisions and court actions are tying people up in knots. He says the EPA has been given powers without clear governmental direction and that planning and licensing delays are unacceptable.
Personal testimony: He explains his own connection to turf cutting, describing recent nights spent harvesting with his grandson and insisting he will not apologise for keeping his family warm. He frames the issue as one of tradition, practicality and local autonomy.
Policy criticism: Healy-Rae criticises the pace of transition to alternative energy, arguing measures should have been gradual and economically sensible. He accuses the government and Greens of failing to manage the change and allowing dependence on expensive imported gas.
Funding and objections: He also alleges that certain environmental charities have been funded to object to Irish turf use, calling this an injustice that stops people working and producing plants and vegetables.
Call for answers: He calls on ministers and the Taoiseach to explain how the situation has been allowed to continue and asks for immediate rectification rather than further delay.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Thank you very much Comhairle and first of all I want to welcome the witnesses here and it is a very interesting debate and it's very sad in a way to think that this is one of the ways this country is finishing up and we seem to be tied up in knots and if anyone wants to do anything to the same there's someone objecting or someone taking them to court but in this case till the government are giving the EPA the legs and the autonomy to rail against the EPA and the way that 30 hectares you may or may not have to go for planning and that we're waiting for two years for Water and Oil Commission. This is ridiculous and just outline where I come from. I come from a place called the back road and we caught turf in our place for the last 200 years and Monday night I was turning turf till the midgers put us out of it with my grandson and I make no apologies to nobody anywhere for cutting our own turf to keep ourselves warm and we're not asking money or any kind of anything from anyone only to be left to do what we do and when we see that this could jeopardize our food security and that's what the question there because it's going along the side of my mind. When we're feeding nursery homes and plants to grow plants they will all sequester carbon and the point was made very clear to me in recent times that farmers will grow on grass they're sequestering carbon so if these fellow the Greens that knew it all and like Deputy Ayres said they wouldn't accept no half measures at least when we got on board in the morning and when the intention was there. It should have been done gradually until we had electricity coming from safe sources or we say sources that made financial sense. Now we're importing gas at the highest price from abroad to keep the lights going. At least we should have let more and more operate away and until maybe gradually decrease and the same with your venture. He should have been left to use Irish peat moss until there was some other sustainable method but now you're waiting for two years for someone to tell you something. To the lunatics that are running the madhouse and that's the gospel truth. To think that if this story was highlighted properly it's a joke, a complete joke and I'm asking the government. One of the things the government taught us when they were looking for us to support them that this would be a common sense government and that there was no sign of the Greens. Nothing has changed. I mean if they're allowing this to go on I don't blame the EPA. It's the government and the ministers that are in charge of this and the Taoiseach that are in charge of the country. They should rectify this sooner rather than later. We've gone far enough. The carbon footprint breeding from Latvia and even at that our moss peat was superior. Somebody mentioned about some environmental charity that reported this or objected to. Well I had a different understanding of charity. I know who these people are. These people are being funded by the government to object to Irish people doing something. I won't name them now but I know who they are and these people are actually getting Irish taxpayers money to object to people like these. They want to put people working and to generate plants and vegetables and they're being stopped by Irish taxpayers money. This is the setup Green. Look it's so unreal and so wrong what's going on and I'd like to see as well as the EPA coming in here afternoon is the government ministers should come in and give us an explanation how this is allowed to carry on.
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
