| J.J. Kavanagh, IFA Alternative Land Use Chairman calls for the immediate introduction of the bioenergy Renewable Energy Feed In Tariff (REFIT). It is now four months since the Mr. Eamon Ryan, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources announced the bioenergy REFIT tariffs but nothing has been implemented on the ground. Mr. Kavanagh said that this further delay is unacceptable and is crippling farmers that have invested heavily in bioenergy crops, such as willow and miscanthus as well as forestry thinnings. “Farmers are questioning the Government’s commitment to the bioenergy sector, when we had all the fanfare of the REFIT tariff announcement last May, but still farmers still have no market because the Government has not commenced scheme”. He continued that growers have sheds full of bioenergy crops that they must sell in the bioenergy sector but cannot move until the Government actually implements the REFIT. He continued electricity production from bioenergy offers enormous potential to create sustainable jobs in rural Ireland but is being blocked by the Government’s snail’s pace approach to rolling out the REFIT scheme. He stressed that with over 450,000 people unemployed bioenergy provides opportunities for sustainable employment and must be prioritised. Investing in bioenergy has the potential to contribute to our economic recovery through employment creation particularly in rural areas, reducing energy costs and carbon emissions while displacing imports and increasing security of supply. IFA will be meeting with Minister Ryan later in the month to outline farmers’ disquiet about Government’s commitment to indigenous production of bioenergy crops. |
Friday, 17 September 2010 16:32