Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 24 May 2023

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Farm Partnerships with Coillte: Discussion

Mr. Donnacha Anhold:

First, with regard to Ms Corcoran's question in particular, more active engagement and management is needed to bring her forestry back up to where it needs to be. Second, the big issue is about the thinning profits from this forestry. A partnership may involve two people, a group, two entities or whatever the case the may be. Active engagement and open transparency is required. If one partner does not get the full details from the other as to the make-up of the commercial arrangement, that is, what is happening, what the activities are; what money came in or out or how the partner got to that price, it breeds suspicion, anxiety and tension. Ms Corcoran got a statement which set out the price achieved and the costs and profits; that was it. When she requested more details, it went nowhere.