Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the IFA president and the other IFA representatives for appearing before the committee. I have also spoken with IFA forestry committee member Tadhg Healy on this issue.

Mr. Cullinan said that it looks like 1,500 ha will be sown this year. The Government's target is 8,000 ha, so it is massively off its 8,000 ha of forestry to be sown this year. It looks to me as though the objectors out there, or whatever we want to call them, have been causing massive harm to the replanting of forests. They are turning farmers totally and utterly against the idea of going into forestry. It is being said that it is no longer a safe investment. Unfortunately, I presume the person who objects feels it will have the desired effect of protecting, but it is actually causing more damage than good. What was passed by the Dáil a couple of weeks ago is not going to streamline this going forward.

Some 2,500 forestry licences are caught up and there are 12,000 jobs at risk, 500 of which are in Ballineen and Enniskean in west Cork. It is a major concern to my constituents. Nearly 2 million tonnes of timber is being held up in a field.

We listened to a presentation made on ash dieback during the earlier session. Why has no one been held responsible for ash dieback? Has the IFA sought to try to find this out? Has someone put their hand up to say they were responsible for directing people to plant certain types of tree that ended up having this ash dieback? Is forestry a safe investment going forward anymore?