Mr. Michael Fleming:

Deputy Ferris raised a question about the licence and sought clarification on compensation. We spoke with the Minister of State, Deputy Hayes and his departmental officials on this. We got no clarification or assurance that there would be any compensation. If we look north of the Border and the Bill up there, a refusal for a licence or a refusal to take out some forestry, there is an element for compensation. We agree that there is certainly a need for a timeframe for the felling licence. That is part of our submission. We have requested a 12 week turnaround, where a person gets an answer for that. There is a cost and I will deal with that in a moment.

The other issue with the felling licence is species selection. The farmer takes on this role in a commercial entity, at the discretion of a forest inspector or the Minister, but he may not have a commercial entity in the second rotation. That creates a huge problem. It is not within our control. A farmer can have a commercial crop in the first rotation but there is no guarantee of a commercial crop in the second rotation, or the farmer may not realise the full amount of the area which has been planted.

In answer to Deputy Pringle's questions, we see sustainable forest management as managing forestry in an environmental way in which we can realise the potential of our crop and continue to rotate that crop in the same fashion. There is a cost to a felling licence because a farmer must employ a qualified person to make the application for it. Senator Comiskey asked about the importation of wood. We currently are importing approximately 30% of our gross saw log. We have the capacity, with one of the fastest growth rates in Europe, to produce timber.

We have the land base to produce timber, but we are being prevented from doing so. This is a major issue because the sector is in a position to create employment. We should bear in mind that up to 60,000 young people have been leaving the country every year for the past three or four years, yet we have the capacity to produce the product. The sawmill industry deserves credit for maintaining and increasing production by engaging with foreign markets when the recession struck. I hope we are seeing an economic turnaround. There is no doubt we will have a shortage of product.

Deputy Martin Heydon asked about management plans. We support the use of management plans, which are good practice. However, a requirement to have a management plan should not be enshrined in the Bill. Incentives should be provided by the forest service, rather than inserting a requirement in legislation. Management plans provide a good road map for delivering forestry and taking a hands-on approach to forestry.