Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Senator Pippa Hackett):

I take on board what the Deputy has said. We anticipate that foresters, with whom farmers must engage in order to avail of any of our programmes, would have a role as part of that. I would like to think that foresters would impart that advice to farmers.

Certainly, I appreciate the balance we need. Last week, Green Party Senators proposed a motion in the Seanad on the use of wood in construction. It emphasised the need to ramp this up if we are to try to decarbonise our construction sector. There are many wonderful examples from across Europe and the UK of aspects of this activity we do not engage with here. We will need soft woods, such as our fast-growing conifers, for these purposes. It would be nice to think that in years to come, instead of exporting maybe 70% of our timber products, we will use more of them here. I am absolutely cognisant of the need for soft wood and conifers.

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