Martin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to address the matter of forestry because, despite recent announcements and fanfare, the issues facing many foresters remain the same in many cases. The Minister of State claims these are exciting times for the forestry sector but this is not what any of the rest of us are hearing from foresters. We note the anger and frustration of foresters, who know the Government is not up to the task of solving the problems in the sector.

The dysfunctional licensing system, poor communications and overall mismanagement of the licensing process are still factors for operators across the sector. Since I was elected to this House in 2020, forestry has been a persistent feature of the agriculture committee's agenda. Licensing, ash dieback, the reconstitution and underplanting scheme, RUS, planning matters and the overall objective of making the sector attractive to get involved in have been discussed over and over but those problems are still evident. They are getting in the way of operators making the income they depend upon and result in a degree of reluctance to invest. Such is the uncertainty within the sector over the Department's ability to roll out a forestry programme that is accessible and efficient.

I want to turn to the issue of ash dieback. Does the Minister of State have any idea of landowners' anger and frustration in dealing with ash dieback? Farmers and landowners who planted native ash trees are watching their forests die or deteriorate every year. Forestry owners in my part of the country are still asking when the Government will intervene to fix the problem. Let me give an instance for the sake of clarity. In July 2020, a Tipperary forester submitted a RUS grant application for a specific area of forestry. Incidentally, this was at the same time that a letter sent to industry groups by the Department specifically promoted its communication plan. Until a letter arrived in October 2022, almost two and a half years later, there had been absolutely no communication with the farmer on the part of the Department. The October letter requested a harvest plan for the site. At the time of the application, the RUS criteria did not require a harvest plan. What does it mean for the landowner? It means the slow pace of the Department, alongside its inability to keep foresters updated, will result in the farmer expecting further delays in dealing with the disease on the land.

While this incident relates to one particular forester, the problem is being experienced by all the other applicants around the country. Can the Minister of State tell the House why it has taken the Department almost two and a half years to decide it requires additional information? Foresters want to know how long more applications will likely take to be approved and whether there will be further requests for more information. Furthermore, the forester's site is going to be replanted with conifer trees. An application was made to Tipperary County Council for planning approval, in the form of a section 5 planning exemption. The application was approved by Tipperary County Council, which has the competence to deal with planning issues in the county. Why, therefore, is the Department questioning the process of the competent local authority? The Minister of State is well aware of the consequences of treating operators in the sector in this way.

The Minister of State has a target of 8,000 ha of new forestry each year, but because applications are taking so long to process, many of the farmers being granted licences are delaying planting because of the likelihood of similar delays when they apply for felling licences.

The Minister of State's new forestry proposals are out for public consultation. I hope she and her Department will do more than listen to what foresters say to them; they must act on their contributions. One thing the Government should set about doing immediately is provide for a statutory period in which applicants are entitled to a decision on their licence applications.

Felling licence targets for Coillte have now been met but they have not been for other operators. Is there room for manoeuvre to put the focus on them? What thinking goes into addressing current shortfalls? It seems a real-time response is lacking when opportunities present themselves. I urge the Minister of State to listen to the suggestions of the foresters and act on their contributions as she rolls out the public consultation. That includes addressing continuing concerns about the RUS, among other schemes. I appeal to her to act on their concerns, not just pay lip service, as is usual.

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