Put our slurry to good use

Copious amounts of slurry from Irish farms, as well as some of the million tonnes of food waste produced here annually, could be used to create energy, writes Donal Hickey

Studies show at least 10% of the population faces food poverty daily and the amount of waste food could fill Croke Park to the top, two and half times, according to Voice, the environment food charity.

Nobody wants wanton waste of food and, ideally, all surpluses should be given to those in need. But, some waste is unavoidable and such food materials could go to energy creation. This is not new thinking — we’re way behind many of our European neighbours in the field — but the prospect of EU- imposed fines of hundreds of millions of euro for failing to meet our renewable energy targets is adding urgency to government plans.