Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State, Deputy Hayes, has just told me that producer groups and co-operatives are being set up to try to create economies of scale for forestry.

I will allow Coillte management to outline its new plans and business model as well as the public value delivery model that Coillte has in place and will have in place for the next five to ten years. Coillte needs to manage a number of things. First, it needs to be a successful commercial forestry company. However, it needs to do more than just pay for itself. It needs to deliver a dividend for the State from a financial, recreational, land management, environmental, carbon sink and emissions perspective. All those things need to be balanced in the design of that business model, but fundamentally Coillte needs to pay its own way. It certainly should not be forced to sell off forest harvesting rights, land or other assets to be able to balance the books.

See this speech in context