Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the issue of forestry services and the inaction in that part of agriculture. Hardly any felling licences have been granted this year. The building of roads has been held up, where farmers have invested money in forestry and they are not being allowed to build roads because of serial objectors objecting to permission for building these roads. The Government has angered and frustrated many farmers in rural areas by telling them that 2020 forestry premium payments must be applied for online. We hear the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Bruton, announcing broadband and we have heard this so many times before but it is still the case today and it will be for many years that the only line many of these farmers have is the clothesline. It is unfair to ask these people to apply for their forestry premiums online. That was never written into their contracts when they went into forestry. The Government and Commissioner Phil Hogan have been advising more people to get into forestry.

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