Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State and her officials. I will try not to repeat any of the issues that have been raised. Many of my colleagues have emphasised that there is disquiet, disappointment and indeed frustration in the agricultural community regarding afforestation. Deputy Fitzmaurice used very strong words on this issue. There is growing disquiet and a sense of frustration because issues flagged by the sector over many months have not been dealt with. Everyone, including those within the sector, agrees that Project Woodland is good and will deliver. The reality, though, is that it will be two or three years before we see anything emanating from the project. Given the current state of the sector, it simply cannot wait for so long.

Everyone in the sector has been pragmatic. Two forestry growers rang me this morning to discuss issues they were experiencing in trying to get their licence applications completed. We can have nothing but empathy with them because they have been through the mill now for so long. It is feared that there is a bottleneck within the Department. Other members referred to this point as well. Ultimately, we must find a way around it. Having spoken to people in the forestry sector and the Irish Farmers Association, IFA, a practical solution has been proposed.

Can we remove the issuing of licences for roads and thinning from the overall licensing process? I appreciate that might require emergency legislation, but we have invoked a great deal of such emergency legislation, much to the ire of our President, in recent months. This is an emergency.

Something simply needs to be done to enable this sector to function effectively. There is an element of double jeopardy in afforestation, particularly if we consider the area of roads licensing. Most people who are applying for a roads licence, 80% or 90% of them, are also applying for a grant to carry out those works. This is one of the most heavily regulated projects that can be done on a farm. Numerous site visits are involved. It is highly regulated. There is a valid argument to be made that this process is already covered and that the rigours of licensing regulation are not required.

The case is similar in respect of thinning. Everybody agrees that thinning is important. Nobody plants a forest and then decides to let it go to rack and ruin. Everybody wants to manage forestry effectively and to get the best value from it and best return on it, not only for the farmer or investor but for the economy and ecology that survive on the back of that forestry. I have no doubt that this could also survive outside of the licensing process.

Are the Department and Minister of State willing to consider taking the issues of roads and thinning out of the licensing process? Are they willing, on the return of the Dáil, to look at emergency legislation that would allow us to do that? That is the only thing that will get us past this impasse. I appreciate the validity of everything the Minister of State has said and I have no doubt that she has come here with the best of intentions but the reality is that the credibility of the Department has been affected as a result of this. We need to take significant action and that is what I am recommending. I would welcome the Minister of State's views on those points.