Mayo councillor's turf stunt 'political theatre'

THE Green Party general election candidate for Mayo has hit out at a stunt where a bag of turf was brought into the council chamber in Castlebar.

Micheál Boxty O’Conaill described the actions of Councillor Chris Maxwell as 'political theatre that is just outright misleading'.

Independent Ireland Councillor Maxwell brought a bag of turf to the monthly council meeting, saying he had been contacted by many people concerned that they may not be allowed to burn turf in the future.

However, Boxty O’Conaill said it is false that people can no longer cut their turf.

“People with turbary rights can still cut and give turf to their friends and neighbours. What is no longer permitted, however, is the commercial and large-scale 'strip-mining' of peat, he said.

Smoky fuels regulations, introduced in 2022, were brought in to prevent debilitating air pollution and to save lives. In Ireland, it is estimated that 1,600 people a year die from air pollution, caused largely by damaging particulate matter found in smoky fossil fuels.

He said: “I am sure Mr. Maxwell - who is no longer just an independent - is well meaning and I respect both his willingness to step forward and the mandate he represents.

"That said, I must be direct. This is not just political theatre, it is completely misleading.

“Under new regulations, people with traditional turbary rights retain the right to cut turf and use it themselves. They may also share or sell turf informally with neighbours or family, providing it is not part of a commercial transaction.”

He continued: “The issue of turf is itself largely a distraction,” the small farmer’s son from Erris said. “The reality is that younger generations are unlikely to cut or save turf themselves.

“If there is any doubt about it, I challenge anyone trying to cut a plot of turf to find volunteers to save it.

“Turf is only a cheap stick our opponents think they can use against the Greens, no matter how false it is and no matter how old the stunt gets.”

He also pushed back on the inaccurate misrepresentation of carbon tax.

Analysis by the ESRI shows that it benefits less well-off households most. Carbon tax is ringfenced to pay for the fuel allowance and other social welfare payments to the most vulnerable households in the country. It is also being used to pay farmers to implement regenerative farming schemes.

About half of the revenue is being used for retrofitting, with nearly half of this going to provide free retrofitting for low income and energy poor homes.

Boxty O’Conaill also said that if Ireland doesn’t reduce its emissions, and if politicians continued to mislead people, we will all end up paying dearly.

“The reality is that Ireland is already incurring hundreds of millions in carbon fines from the European Union and projections indicate that if targets continue to be missed, and if our public representatives continue to mislead people, these penalties could end up reaching €7 or €8 billion in fines every year. Nobody will thank Mr. Maxwell and his other fake news brigade for that.”