Danny Healy-Rae: Farmers denied credit for carbon sequestration
Danny Healy-Rae criticised current carbon accounting for farmers, arguing they are not being credited or properly compensated for the carbon they sequester. He also attacked rising fuel costs, the purchase of expensive hydrogen buses, and barriers to biodigesters and forestry compensation.
Carbon accounting and timelines
He warned that the sequester of carbon must be counted and expressed worry that farmers will not be credited for the carbon they sequester. He noted that calculations are expected to take seven years to finalise and pointed out that a prominent scientist has since admitted earlier calculations were "two-thirds wrong." He said efficient farmers who have incurred expense to protect the environment must be recognised.
Fuel costs and rural burden
He highlighted the recent rise in diesel and petrol prices, saying diesel has risen around 50% from last year. He argued rural people who must drive long distances for work or use tractors for harvesting are being unfairly penalised by carbon taxes and higher fuel costs.
Hydrogen buses and public spending
He criticised the minister's purchase of three new buses at approximately €800,000 each and questioned the economics of hydrogen. He cited a figure of €20 per kg for hydrogen and said 27 kg would be required to travel 430 kilometres, costing over €500, while many city buses run with only one or two passengers.
Biodigesters and methane energy
He pressed that biodigesters and methane gas should be allowed to produce energy and that farmers should be supported in using them. He cited a recent case where a farmer was refused permission for a biodigester as an example of barriers to on-farm renewable energy.
Forestry, premiums and felling licences
He raised concerns about forestry payments and compensation, saying officials suggested premiums but those supports have been cut. He said farmers were given licences to plant trees and are now restricted in claiming carbon sequestration for those forestries, calling such treatment unfair.
Political accountability and rural impact
He concluded by saying groups of hardworking rural people have been told ministers are doing their best, yet he argued little has been done in the past 12 months to help them. He urged the minister to ensure farmers are properly compensated and treated fairly on carbon, energy and forestry issues.
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Thank you very much. Of course, the sequester of carbon will have to be counted. And that's my worry from the very outset, that farmers won't be allowed for the carbon that they are sequestering, because I can't think that many farmers are sequestering more carbon than they are producing. And that, my worry is that the calculations are supposed to take seven years to finalise or to really account for what farmers are sequestering and how efficient they are, because many farmers are very, very efficient and have gone to a lot of extremes and to a lot of expense so that they wouldn't be damaging the environment. And that has to be recognised. And the fact that just the professor or the scientist that claimed over 15 years ago, that farmers, that cattle were producing so much meat and gas and that they were damaging everything, and damaging the environment, he has admitted now that his calculations were two-thirds wrong. So, can you imagine that? He has admitted, I can't think of the scientist's name, but in the first place, all the racket that was about meat and gas, the scientist that was more vocal about it has admitted that his calculations were two-thirds wrong. So, that's very serious. And we contend that the farmers that are even growing grass, even in dairy, and the amount of grass that they are growing, that they should be allowed for the amount of carbon that they are sequestering. When we hear about climate justice and see what's happening, we all know that the cost of diesel and petrol has gone up so much recently. So, the percentage that the government is getting out of carbon, out of the carbon tax that people in rural Ireland need to use, that they have to use petrol and diesel, because they have to get from A to B, they have to get to work, they have to do their harvesting with tractors or whatever, and they do need it. But fuel has gone up, practically diesel anyway has gone up 50% from what it was last year. And here we hear the minister absolutely delighted today, he was after purchasing three new buses, at the cost of €800,000 apiece, and they are going to be more costly than any bus heretofore that was purchased her own. Because someone of my good friends has taught me that this hydrogen is going to cost €20 per kg, and that will take 27 kgs to do 430 kilometres. That's over 500 euros. That's over 500 euros. And I'm looking around this city day after day, and looking into big, high, long, double-decker buses, and there's no more than one or two inside them at any time. Yet, the people in rural Ireland are penalised to pay for these brand new shiny buses that are not even economical in today's figuring out. So, I mean, it's wrong to be, there's no justice in that for the people that are out here in the morning, in the dark, in the cold, in the wet, and trying to go to work long distances, because that's what they have to do, whereas here, in this city, they can hop on, there's so many buses, one of them is on, you could imagine that they're all pulling each other up Kildare Street, there's so many of them, there's so many of them there with one or two inside every bus. So this is what, this is the climate justice, because it's not justice. We have to ensure that biodigesters and that the methane gas, that it can be used for producing energy, and farmers should be allowed. And in fact, there was one farmer recently refused any permission for a biodigester. This is the country we're in, and farmers trying to do their best, and more people complaining that the farmers aren't being penalised enough. They aren't penalised enough, and Minister, you must realise, and you must do something to ensure that farmers are properly compensated for the carbon emissions that they're sequestering. And I heard that some government department yesterday told some farmers group that raised the issue of the amount of, that they should be compensated, that farmers should be compensated for forestry that they have grown. And lo and behold, the department officials said, should we give you premiums for that? But that premium was only a help, and the premiums are all cut now, and people can get felling licences to fill the trees that they were told to grow. And to think now that the department won't allow them to claim for sequestering carbon in these forestries. You're very unfair, Minister, if this is the route you're going to take with people that planted these forestries. Not normally allow them to cut them down or give them felling licences. And we see a grand group of people outside here today, honest, hardworking people. And the two ministers then telling them that they were doing their best for them. And they actually have nothing at all done for them, since they got into power 12 months ago. And I can honestly tell you that that industry, I'm finishing up with that. He has nothing at all done for a minister, and at the way he is going, he won't do anything for them. Thank you very much, last concord.
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