Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Callanan for his presentation. He made a number of points on forestry, an area on which I will focus. Restrictions apply to the planting of forestry on hen harrier designated land. While this land is well suited to planting forestry, a blanket ban on planting applies. Furthermore, farmers who wish to plant unenclosed land must balance this by planting enclosed land, with a ratio of 1:4 between the former and latter. This, too, is a major barrier to achieving targets for plantations. Farmers would much prefer to farm land that is suitable for forestry. The restrictions applied to land suited to planting forestry are hindering us from meeting our targets.

Bord na Móna, a semi-State company, has plans to import timber from the United States to be used here in the production of biomass. I am baffled as to the reason this plan can be considered as a means of addressing climate change. It is inconceivable that a semi-State company such as Bord na Móna would invest €60 million in the United States to transport wood on the high seas to be burned here in fuel production. If we are serious about climate change, surely a home grown solution is necessary.

Mr. Callanan referred to the role thinnings must play in achieving our targets. I was contacted recently by a private contractor with seven or eight employees who does not have a market for thinnings. He cannot find a customer willing to buy 4,000 tonnes of thinnings for timber pulp. If we are serious about forestry playing a role in meeting our climate change targets, issues such as this must be addressed. Coillte and Bord na Móna appear to want a monopoly in the forestry sector and to force private operators out of it. A coherent policy will be needed if we are to achieve our targets. Outlets must be available to private operators producing timber.

Our method of food production will stand up to scrutiny when compared with the methods employed in the rest of Europe. We would come out on top on every aspect of food production in any such comparison. The more research that is done on the cost of producing a litre of milk or a kilogram of beef, the more evidence we will find that our production systems are more sustainable than indoor systems.

Much more needs to be done on the forestry side, especially with regard to land that is suitable for planting, but a little common sense must prevail. Our semi-State companies must realise that the private sector also has a part to play in this regard. The absence of a market for thinnings is creating a bad feeling on the ground and deterring people from planting forestry. This issue must be addressed if we are to achieve our targets.