No turf cutters engaged in widespread selling, says TD

There are no large-scale commercial turf-cutting contractors engaged in widespread selling of turf and the Government needs “to educate itself” as to what is happening in the industry, according to an industry official and TD.

Referring to the plan to outlaw the sale of turf and wet timber on health and environmental grounds, Michael Fitzmaurcie, a Roscommon TD and chairman of the Turf Cutters and Contractors Association the Government said the Government “doesn’t know what it is talking about”.

Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan has said the proposed ban on the sale and distribution of turf will proceed from September.

The Green Party leader said there was “broad agreement” within Government to ban the sale and “big distribution” of turf and that he, the Taoiseach and Tánaiste agreed to work on getting the finer details right on regulating the ban.

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The proposal would extend a ban on smoky-fuel from certain cities and towns on a State-wide basis.

However there is strong opposition to the ban from some TDs in western and midland counties.

Mr Fitzmaurice, an independent TD, said the use of turf in rural Ireland was now largely confined to use by the elderly and those on low incomes who were “vulnerable people” and there was no “big distribution” firms involved. Bord na Móna has formally ended all peat harvesting on its lands.

Mr Fitzmaurice said his association represents between 13,000 and 14,000 cutters and contractors who typically added an extra load “or two for the woman down the road who would pay for it”.

“If Eamon Ryan had left it alone, never mentioned turf, in 12 years time it would not be an issue as 90 per cent of the users would have passed away.”

Mr Fitzmaurice also rejected justification for the ban on health grounds. He said nobody in rural Ireland burned wet timber or turf that was not fully dried. “People talk about the health benefits of banning coal in Dublin, but it is not the same thing at all”.

He said wet timber would “spit and crack a chimney” while damp turf would only smoke and neither would give out much heat. Unlike coal, he said timber and turf could be dried, and was dried, before use.

He said making it illegal to sell and distribute turf was “making it the same as if you were growing and selling cannabis” and was bitterly and deeply resented in rural Ireland.

Barry Cowen TD for Offaly has also entered the debate calling for a more gradual phasing out of commercial sales. He said a “cliff-edge” ban would greatly impact some homeowners and families that still rely on turf.

Speaking to the the Westmeath Examiner this week Mr Cowen said: “We have to try to see if some agreement can be reached for the phasing out of commercial sales in such instances, rather than the cliff edge proposal being suggested.

“It is important to make the point that proposals, while not finalised, do not impact on people continuing to cut turf for their own use.”

Mr Cowen was asked for comment in relation to this but a response was not available at the time of writing.