IFA Call on Government to Show Real Commitment to Bioenergy + on Farm Wind Sectors

Following a series of meetings with Government Ministers including Energy Minister Eamon Ryan, IFA President John Bryan said with the right Government policy, thousands of jobs could be created by the development of the bioenergy and on-farm wind energy sectors.

He said that the Government must immediately come forward with a set of initiatives to develop this opportunity, similar to other European countries. “The farming community in the UK are embracing these technologies and creating thousands of jobs. The same can happen here.”

The IFA President said, “A cross-departmental stimulus plan must be announced by Government which will use money from the carbon tax to introduce increased REFIT tariffs that provide a reasonable return to farmers and will encourage them to grow and adopt these renewable energy technologies on the farm.”

Concluding, John Bryan said “growers who have undertaken significant investment are still waiting for the REFIT tariffs, which were announced in May and have yet to be sent to Brussels for approval. This delay is unacceptable and must be resolved.”