Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister and Minister of State must forgive me when I say I do not believe them when they tell us they only heard about it in December 2021 because I believe they knew in March 2021. I met one forester who had suspicions about what was happening and the arrangements because he had spoken to landowners and they told him that these funds were going around trying to buy up land. Is the Minister telling me he, the Minister of State or the Department did not hear these rumours about funds trying to buy up land?

The Minister makes it sound really good with talk of it being the Rolls-Royce, us being at the dawn of brilliant and exciting forestry, how the Government has a new vision for forestry and how we have the ace up our sleeve. For various reasons, forestry plantations have decreased down through the years. You are talking about 20 years. Look at the chart we showed the Minister earlier. The Government has deliberately driven foresters and small farmers out of the business and it is privatisation for these vulture funds coming. I have no doubt that when the Minister tried to persuade farmers to enter this business 20 years ago, the language was probably not as sexy as that used by the Minister today but he gave this lovely speech to farmers telling them they should get into forestry.

Deputy Ring said it earlier. If you want foresters to stay in this business, you must reward them. There is nothing out there except confusion, anger and mistrust. The Minister and Minister of State cannot deny that because they would have heard it as well as any of us here. That is what they have created in this venture. Unless they start rewarding small farmers and foresters to keep them in the business, we will get nothing. To reach the target of 450,000 ha by 2050, the Government needs to double what it is doing but it cannot manage the target of 8,000 ha now. When the Government has driven the small man out, the only way it can be increased to the figure of 16,000 ha it is talking about is by bringing in more of these vulture funds and investment funds.

I was contacted by a constituent who is concerned by the impact this deal could have on culturally and historically significant places like Slievenaman. If this partnership does proceed, will citizens be able to view the land deals in advance? Does the Minister have concerns that these areas could fall into the hands of investment funds, which have no cultural or historical association with particular areas of this country?