Offaly Minister welcomes agreement on turf regulations

MINISTER Pippa Hackett has said the agreement on the solid fuel regulations is balanced and considered and the rules will allow people in the Midlands who have traditionally relied on turf to continue to do so.

“There was scaremongering and speculation around the draft Regulations earlier this year, no doubt for a variety of purposes. At that time, I brought my concerns to Minister Ryan and these are reflected in the final Regulations. They offer a balance between protecting public health and allowing people continued access to traditional forms of fuel,” said the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture.

“First and foremost, in securing agreement today on these Solid Fuels Regulations, the Government has brought about a very welcome ban on smoky coal, something previous governments failed to do.

“The most significant change in respect of turf is to the commercial sale of turf: It will no longer be possible to sell turf from retail premises (such as shops, petrol stations or fuel depots) or to sell it online or through traditional media channels, e.g. newspapers. Importantly, these regulations do not make any changes to existing turf cutting rights. Neither do they introduce a regulation on who can burn turf.”

The Green Party Senator from Geashill said a list of questions and answers on her website – pippahackett.ie – should be helpful.

“There is no doubt that the smoke from turf is harmful, and that burning it is an inefficient and unsustainable way of heating a home. However, particularly in the Midlands, there is a long-standing reliance on it, and the regulations agreed by Government today recognise that,” she said.

“I will continue to encourage people to consider the Government retrofit scheme and, for eligible households, the Warmer Homes scheme. A move to heat pump technology and energy efficiency means lower bills, a more comfortable home, and contributes to meaningful climate action. I am particularly looking forward to the planned low-cost residential retrofit loan scheme which will be introduced later this year under the National Retrofit Plan to help households to finance the balance of the retrofit cost.”

Offaly Fianna Fail TD Barry Cowen revealed on Wednesday evening that a deal had been reached at Government whereby “traditional” cutting and sale of turf will not be prohibited.

Deputy Cowen said “common sense” had been brought to bear on the issue.