NI Conservatives’ enterprise spokesman, Johnny Andrews, has challenged the environment minister to say where he would site a chicken litter incinerator, after Alex Attwood denied planning permission to build it near Glenavy.
“Mr Attwood has certainly done the easy thing by blackballing the proposed biomass burner at Glenavy, but where would he like it to go instead?” Johnny asked. “Food and farming are hugely important areas of Northern Ireland’s economy and Moy Park is our single biggest company at the moment. With so many jobs dependent on the poultry industry this facility is desperately needed.”
“It’s all very well for the minister to take populist decisions, but the executive says its chief aim is creating wealth and getting the economy moving. How can that be achieved by delivering a blow to agriculture and the food industry, which is one of the few sectors in Northern Ireland which is actually growing? How can we meet our green energy targets when the first instinct of the planning minister is to throw out applications to create clean energy?”
“Let Alex Attwood explain where he would choose as an alternative site for this incinerator. Otherwise he is responsible for preventing Northern Ireland’s buoyant poultry industry from creating more jobs and he is hampering our efforts to provide clean energy.”