Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I am sharing time with Deputy Cahill. I welcome the motion in many aspects, as I would welcome any change that will improve animal welfare and afforestation. Regarding the phasing out of fur farming, it is fair to say this is a case of the law catching up with societal changes. The majority of people are deeply uncomfortable with the idea that an animal would be raised for the purpose of using its fur or skin. While there was a time this was acceptable and fur clothing was sought after, we have moved on. As a country of animal lovers, it is overdue that we phase out this practice. The motion provides a mechanism to compensate those whose livelihoods depend on fur farming. It is a fair approach that acknowledges the impact of the legislation. It represents the types of arrangements we need to help farmers and others move from one practice to another.

The amendments to the Forestry Act are a sensible and overdue change that will allow for the small-scale planting of native trees as part of agriculture and forestry schemes. I have advocated for this measure to encourage farmers and landowners to increase the afforestation of native broadleaf varieties. Sections of forestry on all farms will not only help to increase our overall afforestation goals but will foster greater biodiversity and facilitate wildlife corridors.

As I have mentioned previously in the House, there is an aversion to planting trees on farms in Ireland. It is something we did on our farm approximately 15 years ago when dairying became unviable because of the change in the industry and how small our farm was. As I have said previously, during the election campaign somebody said they would not vote for me because we had ruined that farm with trees. We still farm half of it with beef but the focus of the farm is now seed production. Even though there was resistance to doing it in the first place, the forestry is now our favourite part of the farm. People should give it a chance.

These legislative changes are important to address the concerns of farmers who have called for greater assistance and less bureaucracy in facilitating tree planting. The policy and regulatory changes that will follow this legislation need to adhere to this principle to enable as many small farms as possible to avail of the schemes. However, this move cannot detract from the need to clear the forestry licensing backlogs and the greater afforestation strategy. We need consistency from the Government on these issues.

I have sought clarification on the €7 million in capital expenditure that is due to be moved from forestry budget. I am working with the community in Riverstick, County Cork to prevent the sale of a substantial part of the public forest. I would appreciate if the Minister and Minister of State would look into this. At a time we are trying to meet our COP 26 obligations, why should public forestry containing mixed species be sold? I do not know how we square that circle with our commitments.

While the amendments to allow small-scale native tree planting is a positive development, we need it to form a part of an holistic forestry approach. Unfortunately, I am not a member of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and Marine, but I have spoken to members. It seems these two changes coming together at the last minute is unexpected and unexplained. I echo their calls for clarity and more information. An explanation in the reply from the Minister or Minister of State would be great.

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