Pippa Hackett (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

It is strictly native trees. It is very much aimed at small-scale planting. I do not know if the Senator recalls the debates on this issue in the Seanad. A higher bar has to be passed because we are not putting it through the rigorous process of the licensing review. There will be certain areas of the country that will be told "No" straight away. Farmers and foresters will find that out straight away once they say they want to plant 1 acre or 1 ha. They will be told "Yes" or "No". It is a simple binary option. If they are told "No", they will be encouraged to look at getting a licence and through the licensing process, they might well be allowed. Two thirds of the country should be available for farmers to plant on. That is quite significant.