Mattie McGrath attacks Aontashka appeals over plant jobs
Mattie McGrath raised concerns about Aontashka's role in planning and its repeated legal challenges to a permitted plant, saying further appeals threaten hundreds of jobs. He urged that there be no further appeals after a High Court ruling and requested another parliamentary debate on the issue.
Judicial review and appeal
Aontashka brought a judicial review against Lanbea's granted permission for a plant that had local council approval from Cilicinley County Council, backing from Van Bord Panala, and admission licences from the EPA. McGrath noted that the High Court delivered an overwhelming result against Aontashka and said the group has now decided to appeal that decision again.
Economic impact and jobs
McGrath warned the repeated legal challenges are costing hundreds of jobs and affecting suppliers across the South East and the Midwest. He said the plant, involving Dutch Copley and Lanbea, is important for manufacturing cheddar and cheese and for the wider dairy industry and its expansion.
Role of Aontashka and funding
McGrath criticised Aontashka's actions, saying the organisation receives two and a half million annually from different government agencies and is using taxpayers' money in ways that cause "wreck in rural Ireland." He argued that a non-governmental organisation should not be able to disrupt jobs and livelihoods while being funded by public money.
Board decisions and community consequences
McGrath pointed out that the Board of Panala sided with the application and that the project supports the livelihoods of young farmers. He appealed for balance in public behaviour, warned against absolutist approaches that exclude the wellbeing of others, and said further appeals will create tension and division in rural communities.
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Teachta, I want to ask you, as I did a number of weeks ago, about the role of Aontashka in planning in Ireland. At that time you suggested that there were too many judicial reviews. Aontashka had taken a judicial review against Lanbea's granted permission, which they had from Cilicinley County Council, they had from Van Bord Panala, and they had admission licences from the EPA. So now they have decided, after an overwhelming result against them in the High Court Judicial Review, to appeal that very decision again in the courts. This is costing hundreds of jobs. There will be hundreds of jobs in this plant, but worse than that, suppliers from all the South East and the Midwest supply this plant, a valuable plant with Dutch Copley and Lanbea, to manufacture cheddar and cheese. Deputy, what has that got to do with our order of business? It has. I want another debate on this, because the role of Aontashka, they are getting two and a half million annually from different government agencies, and they are causing wreck in rural Ireland, and of course it has. The earlier question by Deputy Kelly was about the Board of Panala. Here Board of Panala sided with this application. Its jobs and its livelihoods of young farmers are staying here, and we can't have a government agency, or a non-government agency, an NGO, causing this kind of havoc, using taxpayers' money, not government money, taxpayers' money to destroy taxpayers. My position remains very clear on that issue. That project is of immense economic importance to the region, but also to the dairy industry, and to the expansion of the dairy industry. It has gone through a very lengthy process already. It has gone through the judicial process. And I would appeal that there be no further appeals against this project now, given the fact that the courts have ruled very clearly in relation to it, and that many, many jobs depend on it. And there has to be balance in terms of how we all behave in society. We can't all be absolutist in pursuit of our own objectives to the exclusion of the wellbeing of others in society. And I think the balance has been tipped in the wrong scale here now, completely. And it will create division. I don't have to tap. Deputy Lowry, are you trying to come in on this matter? Tensions and division. Thank you. You
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