Varadkar's nitrates intervention won't change  EU decision, says Ryan

Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said there won't be a future for agriculture unless farmers "go green".

The Taoiseach's intervention on Ireland's nitrates directive will have no impact on a controversial EU decision to cut limits, the Green Party leader has said.

Eamon Ryan said there won't be a future for agriculture unless farmers "go green" and become "the frontline heroes" on climate change.

Speaking at the UN in New York, where there has been a large focus on climate, Mr Ryan said extreme weather events have been "terrifying".

Last week Leo Varadkar wrote to EU Commissioner Virginijus Sinkeviciu, inviting him to Ireland on the nitrates issue.

Reacting to this, Mr Ryan said: "There's no reason why the Taoiseach doesn't have the right to go and talk to the European Commissioner or any others, so that's fully within his rights, but I don't believe the Commission and I don't believe Ireland is going to change tack in terms of trying to start to improve our water quality.

"I don't see Europe moving or changing on this. If anything, they have been deeply frustrated with Ireland over several decades, that we haven't taken the water quality issues seriously enough."

Citing the highly contaminated Lough Neagh "where they are carving out the algae like it's blocks of cement in the water because it's so dense", Mr Ryan said water quality must be prioritised.

"If we don't address water quality, what's happening in Lough Neagh will happen in every lake around the country."

He added: "Farmers are going be the frontline heroes in this and we have to make sure that we give a good income to our young farmers who want to go into farming."

However, Mr Ryan said that reducing carbon emissions across the transport sector will be even more difficult than in farming.

"Transport is actually going to be more difficult than land use in agriculture because it's embedded in our whole society systems. 

"We need to change the way aviation works, we need to develop through the UN and the European Union process sustainable aviation fuel so that flying is sustainable. It's not at the present time," he said.

ESB dividend

Meanwhile, Mr Ryan indicated that the Government will be pushing to recoup an interim dividend from ESB which can be used as part of next month's budget package.

Operating profit at ESB Group has seen a 30% increase during the first six months of the year to €676m during a period of high energy prices for Irish customers.

According to the company’s interim results for January to June this year, operating profit rose by €157m compared to the same period in 2022.

"Some of those profits are going to come back to the State, come back to the people in the form of a dividend, there will be a significant increase. 

"We will look at the option of an interim dividend to make sure we do what helps our budget arithmetic."

He said this money will be pumped into helping people on lower incomes with rising energy prices, through retrofitting homes and other measures.

Mr Ryan said that promised legislation to collect windfall taxes from energy companies will come before the Dáil next week.