Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Chair for letting me in. I welcome the Limerick and Tipperary growers back to the committee. We had them in several times when I was a member of the committee.

I have a few quick questions. From the 1990s on, farmers were encouraged to plant forestry. It was for profit, and so be it, but they were guaranteed forestry would be on an equal footing with all other sectors and that any diseases were the responsibility of the Minister. At what stage did the witnesses realise the Minister or the Department was pulling back from the guarantees farmers got in the 1990s?