Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 27 May 2021
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Forestry Issues: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Mr. Colm Hayes:
I might take Deputy Carthy's questions first. The 948 ha planted to date this year are all private, as are all of the afforestation approvals that have been issued. Coillte does not apply to us for new afforestation licences. As such, all of those hectares have been planted by private landowners. The Deputy also asked how many were new applicants. I understand the Deputy's question to be about whether these were new hectares as opposed to hectares that were being replanted after clear felling.