Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I accept that just as I accept that cigarette companies advertising on Formula 1 cars for years was wrong. We did not know what the impact would be. I see plantations that extend as far as the road at the Wicklow Gap being clear-felled. When they are replanted they will be set back from the road so that views will not be obstructed. That was practice at the time and it was not confined to County Leitrim. The rules that pertain now are totally different. If a plantation that was planted 35 or 40 years ago is clear-felled today, the new plantation will be set back from the road, there will be a buffer of broadleaf trees and 15% of the area will be reserved for biodiversity. There are many protocols and rules in place now which were not in place previously. That will manifest over time.

Whether in the area of forestry or suckler and beef herds, there are 12 grant and premium categories and other incentives. One which we have not been able to promote or has not caught on as much as it could is agroforestry, which allows people to grow trees and continue to farm, albeit not with bovines until after some years. Unfortunately, ash was the favoured tree for that. It was meant to provide stock for hurleys but that came to an end abruptly. We are seeking to have sycamore, birch and cherry as options for those plantations, or even spruce, whether it is 6 m, 8 m or 10 m divisions. Farmers can get a forestry payment on that land for five years, rather than 15 years. It has potential and can help in land drainage too. This is something people can promote. It is not always a case of either-or. People who want to plant some of their land can do an appraisal of their whole property to see if they can enhance their income and use the money to improve the rest of the farm.