Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour)
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I am sorry that I did not hear the presentation but I had to step out of the meeting. How diverse is Irish forestry? Can its small diverse range of plants be compared with other European countries?

As I have said previously, there is a lot of forestry in County Clare yet there is very little economic benefit or spin-off industries now. Ironically, a chipboard factory in Scariff was closed down due to a low supply of wood. County Clare is the third most afforested county in Ireland. However, supply was an issue for the factory because Coillte does not engage in supply contracts. Is it unusual, using western Europe as a comparator, for large forests not to engage in longer term supply contracts? There is a year-by-year supply but it is hard to justify or secure private sector investment if one is not guaranteed supply.