Fine Gael TD for Carlow and Kilkenny, Catherine Callaghan, has clarified remarks made in the Dáil, appearing to link solar farm development and the spread of TB.

Speaking in the Dáil on 19 June, Callaghan said: “Anecdotally, wildlife is being disturbed with the development of mass areas of solar farms and many believe that this could be contributing to the marked increase we see in TB cases throughout the country.

“In my locality, a farmer who has not had TB on his land in more than 30 years recently lost more than a quarter of his herd to it,” she said.

Callaghan made the comments when highlighting the growth of solar around Rathoe village, stating that she is not against renewable energy, but that solar and wind farms need regulation.

Misinformed

In response, Solar Ireland, the industry group representing the solar farm industry said it was disappointed to see misinformed comments in the Dáil, stating that there is no scientific or peer-reviewed evidence connecting solar energy infrastructure to TB outbreaks.

Globally, TB is on the rise for reasons far removed from local energy policy and all projects are subject to strict planning and environmental assessments, it said. Calls to pause or restrict solar development, particularly in counties like Carlow where deployment is still modest, stand at odds with Ireland’s legally binding climate targets, the group said.

Callaghan told the Irish Farmers Journal, that her comments were based on a single case that was brought to her attention. She explained that her remarks reflected what locals have been telling her anecdotally, as well as the sentiments of some farmers who are speculating due to the absence of the second phase of the land use review.

Callaghan reiterated that neither she nor anyone she knows in Carlow is opposed to renewable energy generation, and that neither she nor anyone she has spoken to objects to landowners making a living from developing solar or wind farms on their land.

She said she was simply calling for regulation and the publication of the land use review, as promised in the Programme for Government.