An agreement between Bord na Mona and an international company will see a plant in Portlaoise reopen.
So says local Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley who welcomed the arrangement between the Irish company and ICL.
The plant at Togher has been lying idle for a number of years now.
Under the agreement reached by the two companies, the existing peat stocks from the local bogs will be ring fenced solely for the Irish market and Irish growers.
This, Deputy Stanley says, will help solve an immediate problem as horticulture compost is in short supply at the moment in the country with some parts of the horticulture industry having reached crisis point due to supply shortages.
Speaking earlier, Deputy Stanley said: “The agreement sees ICL lease the plant from BNM initially for a three-year period and using the peat stockpiles that are already harvested on the adjacent bogs as a component for the horticulture compost.
“The company have also developed an advanced wood fibre technology solution in terms of the components for the new compost product.
“As a former employee, I very much welcome this development. I have been consistently raising the need to utilise the plant with the management of BNM for the last five years.
“Initially the number of jobs at the plant will be five and there is a possibility for this to grow further.
“Overall, this is good news from a sustainable development point of view and good news for the local economy in Laois.”
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