Danny Healy-Rae Warns Against Biogas Plants Near Homes
Danny Healy-Rae spoke in the Dáil on 22 October 2025 about biodigesters and anaerobic digestion, arguing they risk harming farmers and local residents. He criticised the 5.7 TWH bio-methane target and the 2030 deadline, warned about planning and consent arrangements, and said he opposed placing plants near houses.
Danny Healy-Rae raised concerns about Department statements that required anaerobic digestion developments are "subject to consent, including but not limited to planning permission," saying the wording worried him and led to confusion about whether planning permission would always be needed. He cited a 2025 court ruling - Cooling Glass versus onboard Planola - where a judge overrode a county development plan in a wind farm case and warned this could open a door to similar outcomes for biogas projects.
He described visiting Northern Ireland and seeing large-scale maize harvesting and tractors transporting maize to digesters, saying some plants there appear to be farm-driven. He argued the original purpose of digesters was to help farmers manage slurry and manure, not to incentivise growing grass and maize specifically for fuel, and warned that turning grass production into a biofuel feedstock would impose costs and change farming priorities.
The speaker emphasised local safety worries, recalling reports of explosions and saying he would oppose plants near homes and elderly people. He said he would support anyone who wanted a plant away from their house and expressed fear at the scale of heavy machinery and trailers he observed transporting feedstock.
Danny Healy-Rae questioned the economics and infrastructure burden, noting the cost to build plants and difficulties obtaining planning permission for smaller operators. He referenced local road needs, saying there are "600 local improvement scheme roads" in Kerry with funding unresolved, and warned about market factors that could force buying gas at high prices rather than storing or sourcing it more cheaply.
He stated he did not support the 2030 deadline and asserted he was the only deputy who voted against that target, arguing the nearer the deadline becomes the more people will suffer. He said he would watch further presentations closely and resist measures that in his view would impose plants on communities to meet targets.
Planning and consent concerns
Danny Healy-Rae raised concerns about Department statements that required anaerobic digestion developments are "subject to consent, including but not limited to planning permission," saying the wording worried him and led to confusion about whether planning permission would always be needed. He cited a 2025 court ruling - Cooling Glass versus onboard Planola - where a judge overrode a county development plan in a wind farm case and warned this could open a door to similar outcomes for biogas projects.
Impact on farmers and land use
He described visiting Northern Ireland and seeing large-scale maize harvesting and tractors transporting maize to digesters, saying some plants there appear to be farm-driven. He argued the original purpose of digesters was to help farmers manage slurry and manure, not to incentivise growing grass and maize specifically for fuel, and warned that turning grass production into a biofuel feedstock would impose costs and change farming priorities.
Local safety and community effects
The speaker emphasised local safety worries, recalling reports of explosions and saying he would oppose plants near homes and elderly people. He said he would support anyone who wanted a plant away from their house and expressed fear at the scale of heavy machinery and trailers he observed transporting feedstock.
Costs, infrastructure and market concerns
Danny Healy-Rae questioned the economics and infrastructure burden, noting the cost to build plants and difficulties obtaining planning permission for smaller operators. He referenced local road needs, saying there are "600 local improvement scheme roads" in Kerry with funding unresolved, and warned about market factors that could force buying gas at high prices rather than storing or sourcing it more cheaply.
Political stance on targets and timing
He stated he did not support the 2030 deadline and asserted he was the only deputy who voted against that target, arguing the nearer the deadline becomes the more people will suffer. He said he would watch further presentations closely and resist measures that in his view would impose plants on communities to meet targets.
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Transcript
I'm glad to get the opportunity to talk and to welcome these people here today. The more we talk about this, gentlemen, the more concerned I'm getting. And I remember going back when we talked about this back in my first time here in the Dáil, that biodigesters were the way to go and that would help farmers to get rid of their slurry. And that's what it was to be about. And then, as for the Greens, who did a lot about the harem, they were behind this as well. But the one thing that I'm very concerned about, they're saying now to meet Ireland's target of 5.7 TWH of bio-mite and gas production, the required anaerobic digestion developments and related infrastructure are subject to consent, including but not limited to planning permissions, licences and permits approved by the Department of Agriculture. So it looks to me from that statement, wherever I found it, that you don't need actual planning permission for this. Is that correct? Sorry, you do need planning permission. Yeah. Right. This comes from the Department and they said the required anaerobic digestion and related infrastructure are subject to consent, including but not limited to planning permission. So I'm worried about that. I know I would be worried about it too, and especially subject to the recent Cooling Glass versus onboard Planola ruling in 2025, where there was a wind farm application, and that was then the county development plan. The judge overrode the county development plan. So, you know, it opens the door for... We need to be very careful, and I'm fully behind anyone that wants it away from their house. I don't want it near my house. And when I hear of explosions and all this, I wouldn't want it near elderly people's house. I wouldn't want it near anyone's house. We know what it's costing to build them. We know what it's even taking to get planning permission. Young fellas can't get planning permission. And it's easy for someone to say, here, roads can be fixed. We have a job enough in fixing the roads that we have, and we have 600 local improvement scheme roads going into farm families, and we've no Bob got from yet, and I don't know when we'll get it. And that's just in Kerry alone. So, look, I see this as another way to meet these targets that some genius has thought out over in Brussels or somewhere and was voting inside the chamber by every member there except me. I didn't vote for the target of 2030. I was the only deputy in Dolly, and the record will show that, that voted, not takes... I didn't want the 2030 deadline because people are going to suffer along the way, and that's what I know is the closer it gets, is the more people are suffering. So I'm very worried about... Is there one of these pants in the North, World? There is a large number of these plants in Northern Ireland. They're very much, I believe, farm-driven. They're farm-based biogas plants, I believe, in Northern Ireland. That was the strategy they focused on. I actually went to the North of Ireland yesterday, Cahillac. I went through four counties. And the mountain maize tractors, tractors-drawing maize, big, savage loads of maize, and I did find out that they were going to one of these digesters. And if that's what's going to happen in Ireland, the south of Ireland, that is enough for me. And I heard the other day about gas or grass being put into these things. What we started out with was somewhere to help the farmers to deal efficiently with slurry and manure and waste that kind of away. If we had bad hair, bad straw, that would be fine. But it takes fertilizer to grow grass. And it's a costly racket growing grass. But from 1970 on, when I started becoming aware of things, our aim was to produce as much grass as possible to feed cattle, to feed sheep, to feed whatever we had. But now we find that we're going to grow it for... And grass sequesters carbon on its own. But to think that this is what this is about, that we'll be feeding grass and maize into this at the level that I see in the road yesterday. I'll tell you, it was frightening. There were the biggest tractors and the biggest trailers, and I know what I'm talking about. And one of them after the other. And there was another gang going back, empty, one after the other. And I had to find out what was going on. And that's what I was told was going on. It had me frightened anyway, Chairman. And I'm very worried about the whole thing. And I don't think that the planetarity is the same as the solar panels. That has right guidance there. That has a right understanding of it. But this direction came, and this agreement was made to sign up to these targets by 2030. Come hell or high water. And let people suffer once we won't have to pay this money. But I won't stand and see that people with their own houses, local to these things, that these things are going to be shoved in under their nose, are going to have to suffer to meet these targets. And I'll be watching very carefully any other presentations that have been made inside here. Because I'm very, if it were just farmer-related, but when it is another business-operated thing for to create gas, to the way it is you're imported, when it is cheaper in the open market. But we've not had to store it, even though there is a field and can sale that would store it. And it could be bought cheaply at a different time. But we're in a position that we have to buy it at the dearest time. Thank you, Deputy Ard.