Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

The problem at present is that by virtue of a European directive Coillte is prevented from benefiting from grants such as those farmers receive for reforestation and, therefore, there is an issue which must be tackled. I believe Coillte has not planted a tree since 1995 for that reason - perhaps I may be corrected by a Member with greater knowledge. We need new synergies to plant more trees. We need more jobs and we need to reduce our carbon footprint. One of the key points about forestry is that it is a carbon sink and will help us reduce our CO2 emissions, strengthen our competitiveness and will create more jobs locally. That is our plan.

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