Mr. Tim Cullinan:

That is why we are here. We are here because of the serious problem with this. The Deputy asked if forestry is a safe investment going forward. We are all asking that question. It is absolutely incredible that there is a blockage in the system. When the farmer applies for a licence to plant he or she may have to wait for two years. This is crazy stuff. What are we going to have to do? Ireland is self-sufficient in wood but now there is a threat that we will have to import wood to keep our sawmills going. We have to get a solution to this. That is why we are here this evening. We want to put a very strong case across here. We want a very strong message to go to the Minister that this system has to be freed up. We cannot have a scenario where Ireland is self-sufficient in wood but we have to start importing.

Deputy Michael Collins was absolutely correct when he said there are an awful lot of jobs involved. We know where the economy is at the moment. The employment rate is 8% currently and yet we have an industry that is being allowed to go down the tubes.

Our asks are very clear. We want the system freed up. Consider a farmer who wants to do thinning or put roadways into an infrastructure that is there already. Why should that farmer have to go back to look for a licence to go into a plantation that has already been planted for a long number of years? The farmer is not going to do any damage in the area. It is inside in a forest. The farmer is literally going to take out a few rows of trees to allow space for the remainder of the forest to grow. The thinnings alone would help to keep the industry going in the short term. These asks are very reasonable and cost effective. If they were implemented they would save the Government money. We need to know what is going on here, what the blockage is and why it is taking two years to get any licence through the system. It is totally wrong.