Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the gentlemen for their hard-hitting opening statements. Unfortunately, we have devoted much time as a committee to the forestry sector and I am disappointed that the representatives of the private sector in forestry feel they have to come in again to highlight issues within the sector.

There are a couple of points that I take out of their statements. Some 2,000 ha in 2021 was the lowest amount since 1946, at a time when Government policy is clear that we have to increase the level of afforestation. That demands serious explanation as to how we dropped to such a level. Some 25% of what is in the programme for Government is a huge issue that needs addressing.

The other issue is something that I focused on a lot is the farmers with ash dieback. This has damaged the confidence in the sector. I have been involved in farmer politics before I got into parliamentary politics. I have never seen a situation where farmers had a disease that was outside their control that they did not receive financial compensation for, whether it was tuberculosis, brucellosis or the dioxin we had in the pig sector. We had it in horticulture as well where there were different outbreaks of disease. This is the first time in my experience that I have seen farmers who have suffered huge financial loss, 20 to 25 years of growth gone down the Swanee with a disease, and not see financial compensation.

The other point that is galling concerns the thinning licences. Thinning is a mechanism to get a crop to fully mature correctly. I just cannot understand the fact that one needs to get a licence for that which is a management tool. The representatives from SEEFA made many strong points and I am sure many members will have questions to get elaborated on. We might take one or two together so we get everyone in.