Irish turf is for sale in Tokyo, but not in Tullamore for Irish turf lovers.
Energy Minister Eamon Ryan said the government continued to export “hundreds of thousands of tonnes” of peat to Japan and Australia each year.
This is despite the fact that sales of turf and turf to the Irish have been curtailed due to new restrictions introduced by the Green Party.
As of October 31st, Irish weed can no longer be bought for free in shops as before.
However, it is possible to walk into a local shop in Connemara and buy peat products from countries such as Germany.
The move towards limiting traditional turf burning is designed to reduce emissions as we move towards a greener economy.
A recent analysis by data journalism website noteworthy.ie revealed that more than 500,000 tonnes were exported last year.
The Irish Mirror asked Ryan if it was right that Irish peat could be bought freely abroad but restricted at home.
He said: “They can buy Irish turf, they can still buy it. There’s a bigger issue, a more immediate issue and that’s….. look at the air quality problem we had in Tralee last week,” reports The Mirror.
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