Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

That is not what farmers or the sector are telling us. They do not see the economic value in broadleaf trees. They appreciate that there has to be an element of it but not at the level it is pitched. It is not commercially viable for them.

I did not intend to speak about ash dieback but I heard the radio campaign earlier this week and a piece on "Morning Ireland". It is very difficult to make people confident about the sector at present. We need to send a very strong message. I fear we are not delivering that as a Government. Does the Minister of State accept that the new rules on the 30 cm maximum peat depth remove large areas of potential forestry land and will have a major impact on the afforestation rate? What is the scientific benefit, if any, of moving from 45 cm of peat to 30 cm?