IFA questions biomass commitment

THE Government’s real commitment to the development of an indigenous renewable energy industry using agricultural produce and by-products has been questioned by the Irish Farmers’ Association.

IFA alternative land use chairman JJ Kavanagh acknowledged the Government’s introduction of the Biomass Energy Scheme but claimed that bureaucracy has severely stifled a significant uptake.

“Failure to fully align the Business Expansion Scheme (BES) with existing schemes such as the Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS) and the Disadvantaged Areas Payments Scheme has deterred many farmers from growing energy crops such as willow and miscanthus.