Galway East TD Seán Canney has said that the burning of agricultural waste must continue as it is ‘integral’ to good farming practice.
He says that there is no point banning essential agricultural practices until there are alternatives in place.
Deputy Canney welcomed an extension of the exemption for farmers from regulations introduced in 2009 which make it illegal to dispose of waste by uncontrolled burning.
An article in the regulations allows for the disposal of waste by burning under certain conditions where the material to be burned consists of uncontaminated wood, trees, tree trimmings, leaves, brush, or other similar waste generated by agricultural practices only, provided that the burning is done as a final measure following the application of the waste hierarchy.
“We cannot ban the activity as it is integral to good farming practice and as there is no alternative option common sense must prevail” said Deputy Canney.
“As no progress has been made on the feasibility of alternative options to the burning of this waste such as mulching and chipping, it is proposed to provide a further one-year extension for 2022,” said Deputy Canney.
