Oireachtas Committee calls for Climate Change Bill to be put on hold
By Joe Dermody
Thursday, January 20, 2011
THE Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture has called for the controversial Climate Change Bill to be put on hold.
Having been promoted by the Green Party, the bill has been roundly criticised by farm and "green" groups alike — one saying it would needlessly go too far, the other saying it wasn’t going far enough.
IFA president John Bryan welcomed yesterday’s move by the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, and said the Government could not ignore the views of the cross-party group.
John Bryan said there was unanimous agreement among farmers and agri-business, and a strategy agreed at Government, regarding the potential of the industry to drive exports and jobs. The bill will damage this potential and cost the economy €4bn in lost export earnings.
"I am pleased to see that the Agriculture Committee has recognised the dangers of pushing ahead with the bill," Mr Bryan said. "This issue is of national importance and the Government must address the implications for the agri-food sector before the bill proceeds."
Addressing the Oireachtas Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security yesterday, Mr Bryan stressed the importance of a proper consultation period before legislation is considered. "The closing date for submissions is later this month.
"To begin the debate in the Oireachtas before members have a chance to evaluate the views of everybody affected is the wrong approach and underlines the rushed nature of the legislation."
The IFA is proposing four key principles which must be included as amendments to the legislation to safeguard the 270,000 jobs in the agri-food sector, the national beef herd, and the growth of our largest indigenous industry.
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This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Thursday, January 20, 2011
