Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman.

The cost for broadleaf soft is €9,631. If I accept the bona fides of Professor O'Donoghue and if I accept the figures that the Minister has put to us in terms of the new forestry grant already, I see the people who will establish these new forestry grounds to meet all of our targets and all of our ambitions as set out, even including in Coillte's "A Greener Future for All". That is a great document. It captures the zeitgeist. It needs to be where we need to be. Coillte is showing real leadership for the first time in a generation in respect of acknowledging the role that Coillte can play in terms of mitigation through afforestation and sequestration, and also in terms of the public good. That is all good. However, I cannot see, when one kicks the tyres on those figures, how one will get in the person-power - let me not be gendered in my language - to be able to create the opportunities that Coillte is talking about or, and this is where I really need Mr. Carlin's perspective, the economies of scale that Coillte has to be able to compete in the market, or squeeze the market, so much that it will be able to say to private foresters or contractors that it will take them in. What will happen is that private forestry will be squeezed out because Coillte will have the economies of scale to be able to pay the premiums and possibly additionality there as well through the creation of this joint venture. I worry that when everything is wound up, it will be Coillte with the joint venture. The fund manager, as Mr. Carlin said, will already be the owner. Therefore, the fund manager, management company or whatever the entity is on the additionality will walk away with the premiums. Irish private forestry contractors will be forced to work for this entity because it will be the entity that will have the economies of scale to be able to outdo the smaller private forestry owners. Does that make sense? Does that concern chime with Mr. Carlin in any way?