Many North Tipp farmers are 'keen to embrace alternative energy'

  Local councillors pointed out during the January meeting of Nenagh Municipal District that elements of the national media are wrong to claim that a significant percentage of farming and rural communities are unwilling to properly tackle the Climate Change issue.

  Cllr Michael O'Meara pointed out that a lot of people in Tipperary are very keen to embrace wind and solar energy. He said he recently attended an IFA meeting in Thomond Park Limerick which discussed the challenge of climate change and how Irish farming can tackle it. "It was clear from the meeting," he warned, "that if we are to keep the world below a 1.5 degrees celsius increase in temperature then wideranging and tough new legislation and restrictions will have to be brought in."

  He said there was good news for farmers during the meeting when it was pointed out that the Minister promised not to reduce the national herd. He added that a lot of farmers are now looking to branch out from food production. "A lot of farmers want to produce not only food but energy as well. They are keen to get involved in solar and wind energy production. Some are enthusiastic about biodigesters.

  "In terms of solar and wind there is a bit of a problem in North Tipp because a lot of the land in the region is preserved, coming under the NHA (Natural Heritage Areas) or SAC (Special Areas of Conservation) designation, which means solar and wind farms can't be developed on it." He pointed out that the situation is less restrictive in Offaly, where a lot of the cutaway bogland can be used for these energy farms.

  The councillor added that many farmers in North Tipperary are very progressive minded and are keen to embrace the new technology. "Contrary to what the national media would have you believe," he remarked, "a lot of farmers in Ireland and in Tipperary are fully cognisant of the fact that they can't bury their heads in the sand and they have to face up to this Global Warming threat, a threat which is frightening. It's going to be a tough battle to keep the Global Warming figure below 1.5 degrees."

  Cllr Hughie McGrath, Cathaoirleach, told the meeting that he had been informed by locals that Eirgrid is not willing to play ball with private developers (farmers) who want to erect solar farms and wind farms on their land. "It is obvious that Eirgrid is not willing to play ball," he remarked, "and is making excuses. The company's excuse is that the electricity grid is at capacity at the moment and therefore their proposed wind and solar projects will have to be put on hold. I know a few people who want to build solar farms covering from twenty to fifty acres but were told there's no room on the grid at the moment."

  Cllr Seamus Morris said most people see the benefit and wisdom of erecting wind turbines but this alternative energy form does have negatives, "such as the hundreds of tonnes of concrete which go into the construction of wind farms. We've seen this concrete sometimes displacing water on the hillsides and flooding land further down the hills."

  Cllr Ger Darcy said he's been farming most of his life "and if there is any other community more adaptable to change than farmers then I have yet to see it. Most farmers understand the perils of climate change and I'm sure most of the others who are presently sceptical will eventually change their minds. The narrative at the moment in the national media or on the sides of buses in Dublin is that emissions from the national herd is a big problem. Farmers are really angry with negative beliefs like that. There's a fury burning in their hearts at being portrayed in this negative way, because it's such a wrong point of view. The truth is that a lot of people in the national media don't know much about what's happening beyond the M50."

  Cllr Phyll Bugler agreed. She pointed out that waste disposal is of course an essential part of the fight against Climate Change but unfortunately many people don't know how to recycle properly. "We need a national campaign which will show people how to recycle. I don't think people realise that things like glass bottles, tins and domestic rubbish have to be separated from each other."

  Cllr John Carroll said the land around Lough Derg "is a bit like a wind tunnel, with the wind coming up from the Shannon estuary," and is therefore ideally situated for the creation of wind farms.

  Cllr Bugler said she's from a farming background as well, "and no farmer wants to pollute the land. You know, the science is often unclear in this general field. For example I was listening to a radio programme recently which stated that the methane gas emissions from cattle is in fact beneficial for the ozone layer."

  Cllr Darcy pointed out that in spite of our climate we can't take water for granted in Ireland. He said quite a few private wells in Tipperary have gone dry in recent years. "Water is not an infinite resource, even in Ireland," he warned, "and we need to deal with it wisely. This is a key issue going forward. We should increase the practice of harvesting rainwater."

  Cllr Morris was sceptical about the credentials of Uisce Éireann (formerly Irish Water) in the matter of professionally and wisely handling the nation's water supply. "The union talks with Uisce Éireann unfortunately collapsed. Nor is the Council receiving updates regarding the capacity issue at a number of Tipperary's wastewater treatment plants. In truth, the government seems more focussed on privatising everything than anything else, which means an erosion of Councils' powers."

  Marcus O'Connor, Director of Services, said there's a "brilliant conference each year in Gurteen College, which looks at environmental issues such as wind and solar power  and which is strongly supported by the County Council."

  Cllr Bugler pointed out that there's a big flooding problem in Ballina, which could be caused by Climate Change. "We've had a number of bad flooding incidents in Ballina," she commented, "with the water flowing down from the Arra Hills. Most recently the water flooded down from Tountinna hill and a couple of homes were lucky not to be inundated. It's a very serious issue. Also, the Kilmastulla River regularly floods, sometimes leaving fish on people's lawns."

  Barry Murphy, District Engineer, said the flooding incidents in Ballina are a serious problem. "What we are witnessing is an extreme example of Climate Change in the Ballina area. Most recently, in the town the rainfall was exceptional and it overwhelmed the town's drainage system."

  Director of Services Marcus O'Connor said the Council is seriously focussed on finding a solution to Ballina's problem. "We are working in coordination with the OPW to solve the issue." He added that sometimes members of the public lack common sense. "For example, during the most recent flooding incident in Ballina, one man, instead of placing sandbags at his property, as we advised him to, he was instead taking photographs of the flooding incident. We should be able to solve the Ballina problem."

  It was pointed out that there's heavy silt accumulation in the Kilmastulla River, which does not help matters.