Minister Eamon Ryan to ban sale and distribution of turf

Opposition to a ban on the sale and distribution of turf due to be introduced in September by the Minister for the Environment is mounting in Kerry and other areas, where thousands of households depend on turf for winter fuel.

Independent TD for Roscommon-East Galway Michael Fitzmaurice said the language “distribution and sale” was reminiscent of cannabis or cocaine distribution.

It would prohibit people from giving turf they had cut to an elderly neighbour for instance, he said on Radio Kerry.

Fine Gael Councillor Michael Foley, from Ballylongford in the Listowel electoral area, said households in north Kerry were “totally reliant on turf” and the ban, announced in April and due in September, “does not amount to a just transition” as required.

“We rely on turf, myself included. Just to cut it off like that is the straw that will break the camel’s back,” Cllr Foley said on Radio Kerry on Monday.

SEE  FULL STORY:  https://www.independent.ie/business/farming/news/farming-news/minister-eamon-ryan-to-ban-sale-and-distribution-of-turf-41541705.html