Vol. 475 No. 2
130 Mr. Davern asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications the consultations, if any, he or officials of his Department have had with the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry in regard to the integration of elements of renewable energy into the agricultural sector. [4694/97]
The Deputy will recall from my previous answers in this House that much progress has been made in the renewable energy area under my stewardship. I refer the Deputy to my response to Parliamentary Question No. 22 of 12 February 1997 in that regard. My Department is actively involved in the agriculture and forestry biomass network. This group is co-ordinated by Teagasc and is funded under the EU Altener Programme. Representation is from the farming sector, universities and colleges, environmental and energy consultants, agricultural agencies and Government Departments. Membership is drawn from both sides of the Border. The group is working to identify the barriers to agricultural based biomass energy development. The cross-Border dimension of this initiative has allowed for information exchange on both the energy and agricultural aspects of biomass development.
