'Absolutely laughable': Laois Offaly TD slams FG and FF over 'cave in' to Greens on 'farcical' turf rules

New regulations on the sale of turf and other solid fuel are a farcical, absolutely laughable, bizarre but also a complete cave in by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to the Green Party.

That's according Laois Offaly Independent TD Carol Nolan who has launched a withering attack on new rules governing thesale and supply of solid fuel.

She said she was responding to a statement issued by Minister Eamon Ryan’s Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, any wood logs sold in larger volumes will be required to come with instructions for the purchaser on how to dry this wood.

Dep Nolan claimed that it in her own statement that the vast majority of ordinary people in rural Ireland will react with "bewildered incredulity at the farcical requirements and the new prohibitions being foisted upon them".

She continued: “These new regulations are a complete and utter cave in by Fianna Fail and Fine Gael party members to a, quite frankly, bizarre nanny-state agenda that appears determined to infantilise rural Ireland,” Deputy Nolan said.

“Indeed, I would go further and suggest that what we are witnessing here is  precisely the kind of creeping criminalisation that I predicted would happen over the lifetime of this Government.

“The Minister can say all he likes that people with turbary rights and all other customary practices in respect of turf will be unaffected by these draft regulations; but no one with an ounce of cop-on believes that this position will be maintained now that the principle has been accepted that turf, and even, wood logs, for heaven’s sake, are basically public enemy number 1 in rural Ireland.

“These regulations are a testament to the gullibility of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael Oireachtas members who have been captured hook line and sinker by an extreme Green Party agenda.

“Is this really where we are at banning little notices in shop windows for a few bags of logs or demonising people who might want to advertise their turf on their Facebook or Twitter page?

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“It would be absolutely laughable if the issue were not so serious,” Deputy Nolan concluded.