Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In terms of what happened in Leitrim down through the years - Mr. Smyth is right about the big corporates - it was one of the counties where you would swear there was a vendetta to plant as much of it as could be planted. It has more than its share, and I would be the first to say that.

It is about how you resolve the issues or about how you strike a balance in each county. We need a certain amount of forestry, and there is no point in saying we do not. What was said about peaty ground was right. Bad pine was put on it and an acre of some of the wood would not light a fire for a half hour because it never grew right. It was a thing that was done at the time. Government needs to take a decision on that and on what it is going to do down the road.

At one time - I would be in favour of this coming back - we had the Land Commission and it helped smaller farms to consolidate. We have to clear about this. If a farmer is selling his or her farm, or is going to do something with it, he or she is entitled to his or her price. If Martin gives a better price, I have to accept it. Access to money may be a problem for some. We need to bring something in, such as a Government-backed scheme like the old Land Commission one.

The old Land Commission had a great system. It had flaws, however. Nobody is going to praise it to the last because it had flaws, but it consolidated many small farmers in areas and helped communities. I want to hear the response from the witnesses on one thing. We see the statistics the Department throws to us which state that if farmers have forestry on their land, it will keep them in the community and they are kept busy at X, Y and Z. What is their experience over the years regarding jobs in the area?