Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the point Deputy Kenny raises. In the programme for Government there is a commitment to review the impact of the forestry sector in rural communities. I think the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government as well as the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine have a role to play in that context.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine does not target any specific area. It is the case that the return on investment relative to other farming opportunities, forestry would have significant advantages. Deputy Kenny made the point that the problem arises where the farmer decides to plant 100% of his holding. In fact some of the incentives offer significant encouragement to do the opposite, in terms of lower stocking densities, retaining their basic payments and so on, which the non-farmers would not benefit from.

We are committed to a review of the area. I appreciate the heat generated by that issue. I have been in that space. There is a range of issues at play, the right of the individual, who is the landowner, the strong constitutional and legal protections in respect of property owners and the right to farm their land, whether that is farming by livestock, by cropping, growing trees and the schemes on offer. In fact, there is a slight skewing of the schemes in favour of people who remain some way involved in agriculture.

It is important to bear in mind the statistics in respect of who is planting in Leitrim. One also has the benefit of downstream employment, something I forgot to mention in my headlong rush to highlight what is happening in Waterford port. We have Masonite in Carrick-on-Shannon.