Environment Minister Eamon Ryan is denying he is at odds with the Tánaiste over a ban on the sale of turf.

Leo Varadkar said on Wednesday night that the ban is being paused because of the current energy crisis.

The rule is due to come into force in September under new solid fuel regulations.

It has been strongly criticised in rural Ireland.

Mr Varadkar told a Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting that telling those who cut turf that they now cannot was like telling the French they could not have wine or the Italian's they could not have pasta.

Mr Ryan says he will work with his Government colleagues to find a solution.

But he told Newstalk Breakfast: "No, there's not a pause.

"That was a comment to a Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting, which is not a public meeting.

"I think we could obsess about who said what in parliamentary party meetings.

"We'll work together to make sure the regulations work".

He says a pause on this is not an option.

"I talked to Leo last night, and I've a very good working relationship with both the Tánaiste and Taoiseach.

"There was a pause in this - we've been talking about this for years - the last government paused it.

"I think if we paused it again we would have a problem, a serious problem, with air pollution".

He says 1,300 people in this country die prematurely every year as a result of air pollution.

"Two main sources - various sources - but the two critical ones [are] in transport and in sold fuels.

"And that's typically poor quality turf, wood and smokey coal.

"We need and we, on good medical advice, and this is for public health [sic].

"People around the country will know this... towns around the country where you can't go out at night because the air is so foul over this winter.

"The way we're going to do it, which legally is the only way to do it, is to restrict smokey coal.

"You can't do it unless you set standards for other material".

And Minister Ryan says it will be regulated at the retail level, not in households.

"We'll still burn turf - if someone has their own turf, and the majority of people burning turf at home have it from their own rights and that's not going to change.

"No one's stopping that, no one wants to end that culture.

"We'll still be burning peat briquettes because they actually are beneath the standard that we're setting.

"And thirdly, we'll just set higher standards for wood so no one's selling lousy, wet wood which gives off a lot of air pollution".