The Green Party, with the full support of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael and their delusionary arrogance, are allowing the heart and soul of rural Ireland to be ripped out, as they pursue their climate change policies that are based on hypocrisy and madness. This is according to the Rural Independent Group of TDs, who are calling out the government’s reckless policies that are destroying jobs and damaging the environment.
Speaking from Kerry today, Rural Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae stated:
“In a move that highlights the absurdity of the government’s climate change agenda, Bord na Mona’s Edenderry plant imported around 40,000 tonnes of woodchips from Brazil, a journey of more than 7,000km. This is because the government has legally banned the cutting of peat or turf, which was the original source of fuel for the plant. As a result, rainforests are being cut down in Brazil to provide the woodchips, and lorries and ships are emitting massive levels of emissions to transport the cargo.”
“The image of a Japanese registered woodchip carrier arriving at Foynes Port, in Co Limerick with the load after a two-week voyage from Brazil, was followed by a massive fleet of trucks making the 180km road journey to the Edenderry plant, illustrates the madness and hypocrisy in the government’s climate change policy roadmap.”
“As Rural TDs, we are outraged at the government’s obsession with global warming, which is destroying rural communities and the rural economy. Furthermore, the government’s emphasis on being perceived as saviours of the planet is merely a facade, and the costs of these policies will eventually fall upon all citizens. We are currently experiencing the negative effects of these policies through rising inflation, overburdened health, and hospital systems, soaring food prices, and the growing national debt and housing crisis. It is essential to reconsider the government’s approach to climate change and find a more balanced solution that does not harm the economy and society.”
Mattie Mc Grath, the group’s leader, asks why it’s Ireland’s “duty” to destroy its own economy in the pursuit of net zero, stating:
“In 2021, Bord na MĂłna suspended all peat harvesting on its bogs in response to the government’s stringent climate change agenda of environmental and regulatory hurdles, resulting in the loss of hundreds of jobs. The Rural Independent Group of TDs has been vocal in expressing grave concerns about the impact of this decision on rural communities. Our colleague, Deputy Carol Nolan, has been steadfast in advocating for the affected communities in the Midlands.”
“In overall terms, it’s certain that the importation of these woodchips, which are cut from rainforests and shipped and transported over 7,000km, will cause considerably more damage to the environment than if the peat was harvested in the midlands. However, the government doesn’t seem to care about that, so long as the emissions calculations are counted in Brazil, the harvest site. This highlights the gross hypocrisy of a completely disingenuous climate change policy that’s all about appearances rather than substance.”
“The consequences of the government’s policies are the same whether it’s imported peat from Latvia, peat briquettes from Germany, or woodchips from Brazil. Jobs are lost, and the rural economy is weakened, all because Eamon Ryan and the Green Party are being allowed to do as they please.”
“We are again calling on the government to change course and pursue policies that prioritize the needs of rural communities and the environment over short-sighted and hypocritical climate change policies, that are quite frankly absurd,” concluded Deputy Mc Grath.
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