Mattie McGrath Demands Action Over Aontashka and Glanby Plant
Mattie McGrath urged action over Aontashka’s challenges to decisions affecting the Glanby dairy plant in South Kilkenny, warning the body is destroying farmers’ livelihoods and threatening a 120-job project. He pressed the Taoiseach to meet Aontashka and ministers and to consider unprescribing or banning the organisation.
Appeal and legal challenges
McGrath told the Taoiseach he had raised appeals by Aontashka against decisions of the EPA, the Board of Penal and County Council Kilkenny concerning the Glanby plant. He said there have been three High Court challenges and there is talk Aontashka may appeal to Europe, while receiving about six million in funding every year.
Impact on farmers and jobs
He warned that young farmers who invested in the project face heavy commitments and borrowings, and said many invested on the basis that the plant would proceed. McGrath described the plant as a high-end project that would create about 120 jobs and involve substantial construction, and he highlighted its potential for regional economic diversification.
Environmental and logistical concerns
McGrath argued the current situation forces milk to be transported from the South East to other parts of the country, including the North, and questioned the resulting carbon footprint. He framed the dispute as not only economic but also logistical and environmental for local producers.
Taoiseach's response and judicial process
The Taoiseach responded that he considers the Glanby project a very good and important development for the region, noting its potential for job creation, diversification given Brexit, and its joint venture elements with Royal Airware and a specialist cheese professor in the Netherlands and Belgium. He said the matter remains within the judicial process, declined to comment further on possible outcomes, and urged balance and perspective on economic development in the South East.
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Teachta, I asked you some weeks, months ago actually about Aontashka and appealing decisions of the EPA and the Board of Penal and indeed County Council Kilkenny regarding the Glanby plant in South Kilkenny. This is badly needed. Young farmers have huge commitments made and borrowings and there's been three challenges in the High Court now. And will you do something to get this monkey Aontashka off the people of Ireland's backs? They're getting six million in funding every year and they're getting funding from all kinds of sources. And they're now talking, there's some rumour that they may appeal to Europe. This plant will be lost. This high end, 120 jobs, massive construction, but above all, we're transporting milk now from the South East all over the country, even up the North. And where's the carbon footprint there? So Aontashka must be dealt with here. And I know your view of the last is very helpful. So please, something has to be done for you to meet Aontashka, your ministers, to ensure they're either unprescribed as a body or as banished altogether because they're about to live for uselessness. And they're destroying people's lives. Taoiseach? I think I've made my position clear on this project, which I think is a very good project, very important project for the region in respect of the creation of jobs, but also diversification, welcome diversification, given Brexit and the need to bring more diversity into cheese products and so forth. But it's also a joint venture with Royal Airware, a specialist cheese professor in the Netherlands and Belgium, which would be very advantageous to our farmers and many of whom did invest on the basis of this project coming through. So the situation is within the judicial process. And I don't want to comment. I know, but I still don't want to comment in terms of what may or may not transpire other than to say that I think, as I said before, I think people need to look at all of these issues with balance, with perspective, and particularly in terms of the economic development of a region. Thank you. And we know in terms of the Southeast region, it needs economic development and more of it. Thank you.
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