Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 25 February 2014
Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Forestry Bill 2013: Committee Stage
2:05 pm
Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour)
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It is clear that this is about regulation and the Bill fails to the extent that it is about making it easier for forestry owners. The Bill must strike a balance between protecting the forestry sector and protecting the environment. It is set out in numerous places that it seeks to do that, but it lumps all of the regulatory burden onto private forestry owners. The person who does that is the Minister, who, effectively, owns Coillte. In so far as it lumps all of the regulatory burden onto the private foresters, in my opinion it is unconstitutional. Obviously,-----