Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I, too, am delighted to have some time to speak on this very important Bill this evening. Ar an gcéad dul síos, ba mhaith liom mo chomhghairdeas a ghabháil leis an Aire Stáit, an Teachta Tom Hayes, a thagann ón Dáilcheantar Tiobraid Árann Theas. I congratulate Deputy Tom Hayes and wish him well as a Minister of State. I have done so many times but must keep reiterating it in case he worries about me. I do wish him well with his portfolio. I am delighted that a man from South Tipperary is in charge of that portfolio because it is a very important industry to South Tipperary for many reasons on which I will expand later. I also join many colleagues in complimenting the work of his immediate predecessor, the late Deputy Shane McEntee, who so sadly left us, and who threw his full weight and enthusiasm into that sector too. He toured South Tipperary and Kerry where he had a peculiar incident on a forestry road in my colleague Deputy Healy Rae's car, but sin scéal eile. He looked forward to introducing this Bill and probably did much of the earlier work as did the former Minister of State, Deputy Connick, in the last Government. We all acknowledge that these things do not happen overnight. I wish the Minister of State, Deputy Tom Hayes, well.

I cannot talk about forestry and the Minister of State without thinking of Dundrum, his home, and Dundrum Sawmills, and his colleague, Councillor Jack Crowe, who is soon to retire. The Crowe family has given a great deal of employment. One thinks too of the unique setting of the wooded environs of Dundrum House Hotel where there are some fine specimens of trees. Dundrum Sawmills gives employment, as do many other smaller sawmills such as Sheehan's in Burncourt. I could name half a dozen in that area which have survived over the decades, have given valuable employment and worked very hard in a tough business in tough conditions.

It is no mean achievement that 46% of planting in Ireland is privately owned. I was not aware that the figure was so high. In the past I have supported small farming communities when the finest of land was taken over for plantation. I may be speaking out of both sides of my mouth when I say that any good land is planted with forestry never becomes reasonable farmland again. I support forestry and planting and accept the farmer's right to do what he likes with the land, but it is a pity to see really good land that can grow wheat or the finest of any crop, potatoes or sugar beet in the Golden Vale under plantation, all the more so if it is not maintained or nurtured and used to its full potential. When we think of the Famine and other times when there have been food shortages, we realise that good land is needed. There is potential in forestry too. It is a question of balance. The Minister of State, Deputy Hayes faces the challenge of balancing the productive farm land and growing timber for construction, fuel, green energy and to reduce our carbon footprint. It is a very fine balance and difficult to achieve. I, too, am delighted that the Minister, Deputy Coveney, protected the budget this year, as did his predecessor.

In recent years forestry has encompassed much more than trees. One can see what has been done in the majestic Aherlow House nestling in a mature wood and the Minister of State knows better than I do the work done by Aherlow Fáilte with walks, cycle paths, recreation, tours and the co-operation it gets. These are mainly Coillte forests, although some are private. The same is true of Lake Muskry and the other lakes in the Galtees which receive help from their partners, mainly in Coillte. They have recreational and amenity value and there is potential there for more development and exploitation. The Minister of State will be open to that suggestion and to the work of voluntary groups such as Aherlow Fáilte and Knockmealdown Active in South Tipperary, and Tipperary Tourism. If one wants a quiet place to reflect before or after the budget, there is no better place to go than into the woods where one meets no one other than the odd deer or other wildlife, not that one would not see the wood for the trees. It is a nice place to reflect in one's own space and time, especially when the woods are well maintained.

There are between 15,000 and 16,000 people employed in this sector and that is not to be sniffed at in these challenging times. We are operating under very old legislation that goes back 50 or 60 years. It needs to be brought forward and updated. The continued support of successive governments for the sector needs to be maintained. Medite is a technically advanced MDF plant that I toured in the company of the Minister of State, Deputy Tom Hayes, two years ago. I knew what it did but did not realise the finesse and sheer size and quality of its product which now features in hotel receptions, theatres and other areas. When Medite was first set up, it produced 8ft x 4ft sheets. Now it produces the finest veneer and has a magnificent processing plant employing 150 or 160 people and does a tremendous job. It needs a continuous supply and our support, which it will have. It is amazing what can be done with ply board, which was once used only for attics and partitions but now has many and varied uses. Transition year students and others have done projects to show the kind of creative work and quality product that comes from Medite and that can be used and adapted to many situations such as front-of-house furniture that we see in the queerest of places. One would never imagine it was MDF because it is so well finished.

It was so well manufactured in the first place and then developed and used by craftsmen. It is so pliable and so adaptable.

In Waterford, we have SmartPly Limited and many smaller sawmills.There were some in my area, in Lismore and Patrick Sheehan Sawmills, Burncourt. It is wonderful to see the skills and the craft work, which may not be in the bigger sawmills, of people such as Pat Sheehan. It is wonderful to see the old mill wheels that had rotted in certain old bakeries, including the bakery in Cahir, the works in Tullamore and different distilleries, and the pride the people have in their work.

When we see trees bending during a storm, we regard them as a threat as they might fall or may be too near a house or building. I have happy memories of seeing people with two horses pulling out the logs. Nowadays they have massive equipment such as the forwarders and the harvesters which are very expensive. In the past the horse and the chainsaw was used, although the chainsaw is still used. Certainly, it is dangerous and risky work but health and safety regulations ensure that the number of accidents has been minimised. That raw material is growing in Ireland and it provides an opportunity to crafts people such as Pat Sheehan to maintain our links with the past and our heritage and to ensure we have water mills or water wheels nestling and driven by water. If we did not have the raw material and the expertise to make and develop those, they would have long since gone, rusted and fallen into the water. It is wonderful to witness that type of work. I salute the Tipperary Development Company and other groups that have supported such projects. This is part of our heritage that if let slip we would not see again. It would be something we would only read about and not have the living experiences of those places as they work.

The Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, Deputy Paul Kehoe, mentioned the nursery industry. The Minister of State, Deputy Tom Hayes, will be aware more than others that it is huge in south Tipperary. I would go so far as to say, without fear of contradiction, the nursery in south Tipperary is probably the largest in the country. The Minister of State knows the nursery I am speaking about which has created many landscapes. With fertile land - I do not want to boast too much about it - specimen trees can be grown to a certain length. We can see much of it when travelling home on the N8 and now the M8. Those nurseries provide a huge amount of employment. While they have had a couple of lean years and are hanging in by the skin of their teeth, I hope the position will improve from an export point of view.

I know the Ceann Comhairle will soon light the Christmas tree here. For many years a Wexford man, Joe O'Flynn, living in Tipperary for many years, supplied the Christmas tree for this august building. I am proud of that because where Tipperary leads, Ireland follows. I note that the Ceann Comhairle came down to Tipperary for his wife some years ago. I admire his taste.

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