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AN TAISCE HAS had a “five-figure boost” in donations in the last two days, after the Taoiseach asked the environmental group not to appeal a High Court decision to allow a cheese factory to be built in Co Kilkenny.
A spokesperson for the organisation said it has also seen “hundreds of new members” join, and that its social media has also seen a “huge increase” in mentions and followers.
In the Dáil this week, Taoiseach Micheál Martin asked An Taisce not to appeal a High Court decision to uphold a planning application for the cheese factory – a part of the Government’s post-Brexit strategy to give the dairy industry a boost.
The new cheese factory will be located in Belview, near the Waterford border, and will make edam and gouda cheese. This a joint venture between Glanbia and the Dutch company Royal A-ware, as part of a post-Brexit strategy to diversify the Irish export market away from cheddar, which is only eaten in large quantities in Ireland and the UK.
“I would appeal that there would be no further appeals against this project now, given the fact that the courts have ruled very clearly in relation to it and there very many jobs depend on it,” the Taoiseach told the Dáil.
In the aftermath of these comments, the Taoiseach was criticised for interfering in the legal and planning process, and many on social media encouraged others to join or donate to An Taisce.
An Taisce’s Natural Environment Officer Dr Elaine McGoff called the Taoiseach’s comments “highly unusual”.
“We look at the science, we look at the law, we are confident that the choices we are making are in keeping with the law and are underpinned by the science,” she said, adding that all of Ireland’s key environmental indicators are “going the wrong way”.
Dr McGoff said that whether An Taisce appeals or not, “the writing is on the wall” in relation to this type of agriculture, and that farmers shouldn’t be forced to choose between jobs and the environment either.
Yesterday, Minister for Children and Equality and Green Party TD Roderic O’Gorman defended An Taisce, saying that it plays “an important role” in Irish life.
When asked should the Taoiseach have ‘butted out’, O’Gorman said: “It’s best for these legal processes to play out, and I would generally say politicians should leave it to play out.”
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An unelected self appointed body decides that they are the custodians of our environment and because of illadvised government funding are now in a position to use taxpayers money to fight the taxpayers in court and try to interfere in the proper implementation of the planning laws.
As for increase on donations! Another broomstick event.
They should be disbanded.
@Liam Mernagh: You are clueless
@Liam Mernagh: I knew two people in An Taisce over the years, both built houses out in the country then objected to everyone else doing the same. Do as I say, not as I do.
@Chris OB: aithnian Ciarog, Ciarog eile.
Because I point out a few home truths you name call. If you have points to make do so otherwise duin do beal.
It’s about Time Someone stood up to An Taisce Trying to CLOSE DOWN RURAL IRELAND
@pat seery: A cheese factory is not rural Ireland
@Ness: No but it Supports Rural Ireland people
@Ness:
Skim milk and whole milk used to make Gouda and Edam cheese comes from where then?
Hint: not the supermarket!
Cheddar sales into UK have fallen off a cliff so far in 2021 due to Brexit.
So here was Glanbia thinking, we can enter into a JV Agreement, build a factory, create more jobs, produce a product much in demand in Europe and keep a market open for farmers here affected by Brexit, creating a win, win for the economy.
Nothing must get in the way of this reasonable plan.
Those comfortably well-off deluded cranks with nothing better to do but object and protest over Ireland’s continuing successful economic development, need to come up with something positive for a change to achieve their aims and not be depriving the many less fortunate, who really need these jobs.
@Rory J Leonard: They don’t have and never had anything positive to come up with. They are just a self-appointed collection of holier-than-thou professional objectors and environmental cranks, mostly retirees from well-paid state jobs! They wouldn’t survive for a week if they had to make a living in the Real World.
@Ness: How do you mean, without jobs created by the likes of Glanbia and Apple there will be no rural Ireland.
@pat seery: Then why does it involve itself in issues in Dublin city on a daily basis?
The left arm appeals against the right arm and the lawyers get paid
@Mickety Dee: lawyers never lose.
An Taisce is not a part of the planning process. It is a private body, albeit with State funding, which just happens to involve itself frequently as an opponent of planning applications.
Martin was perfectly entitled to say whatever he wanted about the National Nimby Association.
@Gerard: FYI they are a prescribed body so are inherently part of the planning process.
Blessed are the cheese makers..
@Belsheen: What’s so special about the cheese makers?
@Cian Nolan: Reference to the Life of Brian by Monty Python. Well worth a watch.
@Cian Nolan: it’s not meant to be taken literally, it refers to any manufacturers of dairy products.
@Dave B: and don’t forget about the meek. They’ve had a hell of a time.
@Patrick Corr: ..yes but they’ll inherit the Mirth
, so there’s that.
That’s great, cut government funding to zero, they don’t need it.
@Divad Nayr: EXACTLY! My own thoughts!
Their objection to the plant is hard to believe, if now their objective is to “tackle climate change” they will can and might object to every piece of future infrastructure the country builds,
The ONLY thing that employs people is commerce somebody should explain that to them,
The big question shoud be…Why was An Taisce receiving government funding in the first place. They are not a charity, they dont help or support anyone…Cut the funding Now….
Opposition to the factory in Belview port will result in job losses. Why are they and the greens not looking into making solar energy more affordable, cheaper electrical cars, inducements to sow wild flowers, bees and green areas. Improved cattle feed that will drastically reduce methane levels – garlic substrate. No just tax, tax, tax and create job losses. People will get sick of them and they will be got rid of.
@Seán Dillon: it’s not really job losses if the jobs haven’t been created yet. This would signify an expansion of the dairy sector and I believe that’s what’s viewed as the issue. An Taisce and the Greens I’m sure are heavily invested in the things that you mention but reducing the national herd somewhat is also a key component. Otherwise we’ll never meet climate targets enshrined in legislation and we’re already way, way behind. Also I thought garlic substrate/seaweed supplements to feed etc were fairly experimental at this point in time? How are a political party and the National Trust supposed to speed up science?
@Richard O Reilly: How is it signifying an expansion of the sector? The milk goes to cheddar at the moment, cheddar exports are down due to Brexit so it is about diverting existing supply to create a product that is actually in demand. Continuing to produce a product that is not in demand would create a significant amount of waste which would be even worse.
@Diarmuid Hunt: perhaps you’re right. Expansion was the word Micheál Martin used in the Morning Ireland interview. That’s where I was getting that idea.
@Richard O Reilly: The national herd the greatest of the kites flown by the greens. Cull the national herd completely so. we will all go vegan and cycle everywhere. As that seems to be the plan for a lot of them. An Taisce included.
I have no time for FF, but honestly I thought that Martin and FF would have had enough common sense to have performed better than they have, just to avoid an drubbing in the next election. I don’t know if they are clueless, or only concerned with holding onto power for ‘X’ more days. I suppose Eoghan Murphy resigned recently, because he wasn’t retained as a minister after the last general election. So I guess FF are all about just mining whatever they can from the first two years of this government.
@David A. Murray: the fact that MM is the leader shows the quality of the rest of FF.
WHO EXACTLY are An taisce? and who do they represent?
Agree or disagree with An Taisce, the country need organising like them to object whether you like it or not, it’s being in a democracy.
@Sean Bradley: I’m thinking you’re not correct, the democratic system allows for public representatives to represent the various views put to them by the electors. We have government and opposition for that purpose also and we have Seanad Eireann operating on another level as scrutinisers. When unelected and unrepresentative bodies are allowed or given roles which they are not entitled to, because politicians abdicate their responsibility, we as a society, are heading down a dangerous road. We have a similar situation going on with “the citizens assembly “, which implies that the citizens are not represented through their elected representatives.
It is time for action on these issues.
@Liam Mernagh: Ya that’s fine but I was thinking more like a China unless I’m wrong and people are allowed object to factory being built?
@Liam Mernagh: Ah but a lot of the advisory boards are ignored unless they say the right things and are in with the right people. Not that the greens are in An Taisce will be their stalking horse.
@Sean Bradley: no we don’t. They are an unelected quango, answerable to no one, and working against the Irish people: worse, doing it with OUR money!!
Funny how An Taisce has no issue with the meat rendering plant 3km up the river from Belview.
An Taisce is a charity founded in 1948 that works to promote environmental awareness and action in the context of the climate and biodiversity emergencies.
An Taisce reasoning for Appealing planning decision.
Ireland has made explicit commitments to conform to EU Directives and to the climate targets of the Paris Accord. A factory of the scale proposed which will require a supply of an estimated 450 million litres of milk annually – over 5% of all milk produced in Ireland – would have a material negative impact on the capacity of the dairy sector in Ireland to meet those commitments.
So government decisions has created this mess. Either we respect international agreement or we don’t. It’s the foreign workers who could have gain employment in Ireland that truly lost out.
@leartius: I’m sure you have already made that case in the high court and lost, so isn’t it time you gathered up your tent and moved on. And, isn’t that Paris Accord the same debacle that the US had no difficulty withdrawing from. I believe it’s high time the worthy do gooders stood for Ireland and it’s people and if they can’t do that then, to quote Mr Cromwell; “Go you’ve stayed too long, in the name of God go”.
The beef barons dont seem to get any bother from An Taisce.
The reality is, unless something serious is done about climate change worldwide, more methane is going to come out of the tundra permafrost and Artic ice, than from a billion more dairy cows. A cheese plant in Kilkenny is totally irrelevant to the greater issue, but highly important to the economy. All a lot of virtue signaling. Don’t start telling me about wind power. Just a subsidy harvesting scam. The more we have the more expensive our electricity gets because every kw of it has to be hacked up by immediately available fossil fuel plant. When someone suggests putting a few SMRs into the old peat stations, then next to them the data centres, then using the waste heat, the hydroponics and then the Soldier Flies and then the fish and the fowl and then the rest of the bog re wetted and sequestering carbon and phosphates, I will start to take notice. The salmon farms offshore being fed by raping the littorals is far, for more damaging to the natural environment than a few highly regulated cows.
@Nicholas Grubb: a single cheese plant in Kilkenny like a single coal power station at moneypoint not hugely impactful but when combined with thousands of other such plants around the world have a huge impact on the environment.. Ireland in relation to intensive farming it’s a case of make me pure lord but just not yet.
@Nicholas Grubb: Wind power works but the greens were against it at the start, they did not like the windmills. Strange but true.
@Nicholas Grubb: I’ll paraphrase your prose: “unless something serious is done about climate change WORLD wide, it doesn’t matter a monkey’s what Ireland does”….
Back in my day the cheese came in a box and either had a cow or a little girl on the front. None of that foreign stuff in our house.
Thays a bit cheesey
A spurious and full of negativity group of people who are the biggest risk Ireland faces as it seeks to come out of the current crisis.
What was An Taische ‘initial reaction?
“No whey!”
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