I would like to assure the Deputy that we are fully aware of the issues in respect of horticultural peat and the difficulty it is causing the sector. It is worth saying that currently there is no indication that supplies for the domestic horticulture sector will run out for either amenity horticulture or the mushroom sector. As the Deputy is aware, they require two distinct types of peat. Supply is being sourced within Ireland and is also being imported. It is worth drawing some attention to the CSO figures in resp…

My Department and my role as Minister of State with responsibility for horticulture is to the horticultural growers of this country.

We have no jurisdiction on planning. We have tried to extend out supports in terms of recruiting planners to help across the board and maybe get that collaboration that is so needed across the Departments. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has no role in the extraction of peat whatsoever. What we do have a role in is supporting-----

I appreciate that and agree that we need a collaborative approach across the Departments. However, it is not as straightforward as just allowing a free-for-all extraction of peat.

The sector at the moment, as I said in my second answer, is not under direct pressure and there is no indication that supply of peat for domestic horticulture is due to run out in the short term.

I think supporting small food producers is an important programme for Government commitment, as the Deputy outlined. Both the programme for Government and Food Vision 2030 acknowledge and underline the importance of our food producers, particularly our farmers and small food producers, and their importance in maintaining vibrant rural and coastal communities. Support is available to local small food producers and businesses in a variety of ways. Bord Bia has recently commissioned research, which examined, among oth…

I concur with all that the Deputy has said. The value of small food producers has perhaps been ignored. That is why we fought to include the commitment to recognise that and do what we can to support local food producers in the programme for Government. Indeed, having local access to food processing is one part of that. Over the last number of decades, we have seen the demise of parts of rural Ireland in towns and villages that have lost their butchers, greengrocers and creameries that were there in years gone by. …

I will pass to my senior Minister to answer the Deputy.

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. This is a pertinent issue that arises frequently. I welcome the opportunity to provide an update on solar applications for farmers under TAMS. TAMS is an on-farm investment scheme co-funded by the EU. Under the current EU regulations and the new CAP strategic plan, it is not permitted to sell excess energy generated by grant-aided investments to the grid. Energy generated can be consumed only on the holding. That is the nature of the grant. The solar photovoltaic, PV, sy…

This has come up on a number of occasions in recent months and indeed years. I understand we have examined this with the Commission. I agree some farms have roof space, but that potential will not be achieved through the TAMS grant which is for the purpose of consumption on the farm and those are the rules attached to it. However, it does not stop farmers examining other options and possibly coming together in a community energy setting. There are examples across Ireland where communities have come together to gene…

I second the motion.

I welcome Senator Pauline O’Reilly’s motion. This is an historic occasion. This is the first time that a motion on breastfeeding has been brought to the Seanad and that is worthy of note. Ultimately, as Senator Pauline O'Reilly said at the start, this is about choice and giving women choice. All of the data stack up in terms of the benefits of breastfeeding. I was fortunate to be able to breastfeed four of my children. They will be mortified if they hear me saying this now but I was very lucky. I had difficulty bre…

I, too, extend my condolences and those of my Green Party colleagues to Ambassador Johnston and the British people on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. It is great to be back in the Seanad and I take this opportunity to welcome all of my colleagues back after the recess. I have spent quite a bit of my time over the past month or so travelling around my constituency of Laois-Offaly meeting people from all walks of life. Such activity is a central part of our democracy and helps to inform us, as public representativ…

I thank my fellow Green Party Senators for tabling this motion. It is timely. I thank all Members who have spoken passionately about this issue. It is important to keep it high on the agenda. I am pleased to welcome this motion on behalf of the Government, and I am particularly pleased that my Cabinet colleagues decided this week to support it, signalling the Government's commitment to high standards of animal welfare in Ireland. Animal welfare does not fall under my remit. I am here to represent the Minister, Depu…

All of us who are interested in forestry in Ireland generally share the same objectives. These are to have a well-functioning forestry licensing system, a clear and shared vision for the future of forestry in Ireland, and a new forestry programme which will encourage sustainable forest creation and management that meets societal needs. In line with these objectives, I set up Project Woodland more than a year ago to tackle the licensing issue and the backlog and to focus on developing a new forest strategy to promot…

I disagree. The figures I gave in my initial response show that progress is being made. We fully accept the difficulties with afforestation. We receive about eight applications per week from farmers. It is not about the throughput of the issuing of the licences, it is the interest. I accept that confidence in the sector is incredibly low among farmers and landowners. We accept that and we know we must address it. We know we have to incentivise it more. We know there are challenges to forestry from other land-use se…

That is when it will start.

The figures are a matter of record and I am happy to share them with everyone. If the Deputies do not believe me, they can see them. We are fully aware of the necessity to increase our afforestation. We are also aware of the carbon benefits that can supply and, if they are planted correctly, the benefits to the wider environment, whether to water biodiversity, soil quality and so forth. This is why we are having continued engagement with the sector and stakeholders on our new forestry programme, which is only due t…

I attended a wonderful event on Monday evening in the village of Rhode in County Offaly. I estimate that approximately 100 women from the local area gathered to hear from Edenderry woman Mary McHugh, also known as "Mary Menopause", who has been telling her story to anyone who will listen about her menopause, which hit her prematurely approximately ten years ago. She described menopause powerfully as depleting women of all the hormones that made us natural. She went on to describe the debilitating symptoms that she …

I would like to provide an update on the Government's plans for gynaecology and maternal health services in the midlands. My colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, and his Department are currently working with the HSE's national women and infants health programme to increase capacity and reduce waiting times for women awaiting general gynaecology through the implementation of the ambulatory gynaecology model of care. This is a very positive development, and I look forward to seeing this model …