Mr. Francie Gorman:

The first question we would like to ask is what inspection protocols it has in place. Does it have staff in place to do that? If not, what is it going to do about it? Those are probably the key questions. Is the Department prepared to consider a temporary suspension of imports until that review is done? The Deputy said it can take months but, to be fair, it can be done more quickly. The risk in not addressing this issue properly is too great for the forestry sector at farm level. As he and all of us here around the table have said, confidence in the sector has been shattered. I know people who have managed to get felling licences and who have done well when they have harvested their timber crop. A properly managed forestry sector with an efficient licensing regime that allows farmers to harvest their crops when needed can deliver income at farm level. We are all positive about the forestry sector if we can get the problems it is facing sorted out. This is a very serious issue. If the bark beetle gets in, nobody is going to plant trees. That is why we need this addressed and why we are here today.