Mr. Colm Hayes:

I thank Senator Daly. On the question as to whether farmers are not planting now even though they have received a licence, it is clearly the case. The purpose of writing to sectoral representatives is to understand this. I absolutely accept, as I said in the statement, the delay in receiving a licence must be a factor in this. Of course it is. We also see evidence in our figures of people who receive licences within a month or two of applying and still do not proceed to planting. We need to understand this better. We need to see how we can work with farm advisers and Teagasc and make farmers understand the value of what they have received in terms of a licence and the options they have. This would be a good step.

There are a number of factors. We know we received licence applications for land speculation reasons. We know that of course farmers can change their minds when the forestry machinery shows up. A range of factors can lead to this. We need to understand it and see whether we can help in more detail. The Senator is correct that the best help we can deliver is a timely licensing system. This is what all of this and Project Woodland are about.

That is the purpose of that particular discussion. It does not happen in felling or roads but if we are to go to all this trouble to process licences, and if companies are to go to all the trouble of submitting them, we need to make sure every licence is valuable and utilised to the maximum possible extent.

On the question of climate policy, I am wary of any direct link between agriculture livestock policy and forestry because it does a disservice, in many respects, to both sectors. The forestry sector and the planting of land is not there to help livestock sectors achieve their output targets. We have to be very careful that all sectors play their part in achieving climate policy goals. I am very wary of drawing a link between one sector underachieving, or overachieving for that matter, relative to the other because forestry is a big sector in its own right. The people who plant lands do so for very valid reasons and should be encouraged to do so. We should treat them on that basis and not necessarily draw links between the underachievement of one leading to knock-on effects in the other.

I will touch briefly on prices because the Senator mentioned them. Of course, timber prices are well up at the moment. There is a commodity boom globally. I read the other day that timber prices in the US are up 350% compared to the same time last year. We see that at the moment from the builders association, for example, in the effects on concrete and timber. These are market issues. I am not clear on the extent undersupply plays in that but it has to be acknowledged, in the overall context, that there is a boom right now in timber prices internationally. As a large exporting nation Ireland will inevitably feel an element of that, as it will with steel, concrete and all these other factors, which as the Senator correctly pointed out are leading to increases in construction costs. I saw something from the Irish Home Builders Association the other day referencing this in addition to the impact of Brexit, Covid and various other factors which contribute to the increased costs at the moment. It is important to acknowledge that as well.

I think I have answered all the Senator's questions. I ask him to tell me if I have left anything out.