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

I will not speak for too long on this. I welcome the Bill, especially the mechanism to allow for and encourage small-scale forestry planting on farms and other land. This is the type of practical intervention needed to help local afforestation with native broadleaf species. The right type of planting has multiple benefits that range from improving carbon sequestration to improving biodiversity and air quality. We need more measures like this to help farmers and landowners to increase our levels of native broadleaf trees.

The first amendment is in the names of Deputies Martin Browne, Carthy and Mac Lochlainn. It provides for the annual reporting on the afforestation rates in the legislation. It is important to understand the impact of the Bill to see how it is going in order to ensure the intent results increased levels of tree-planting on a local scale. Agriculture organisations have highlighted the need for more incentives to assist farmers in planting trees, while the Mackinnon report mentions delays, uncertainties and perceptions of excessive bureaucracy as disincentives for farmers. It cannot just be a matter of allowing small-scale planting, providing grants and then saying the Department's job is done. There needs to be accountability and transparency around the effectiveness of these measures.

As I said, a mechanism to allow for and encourage small-scale forestry is really welcome. We need more afforestation, especially given our COP26 commitments, but there must be more than just this type of legislation. It cannot just be piecemeal. On Monday I met a group who are trying to prevent the sale of Coillte-owned forestry. When everyone is in favour of legislation of this kind and trying to work on afforestation, it is confusing and ridiculous that we are not keeping land with old and native species in State ownership. Instead, it is being sold to a private owner. We are going backwards while we are going forwards and we must take an overall approach.

On a final point, I welcome the Bill's other purpose of phasing out fur farming and prohibiting the raising of animals for the purpose of using their skin for fur. This is a practice most people strongly oppose and the Bill allows for those affected to be compensated in moving to other methods of farming. That is a just transition and is very welcome. I hope we see more of that from the Minister's Department.

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