Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Like others, I have raised on several occasions in the House this week what I believe to be a shameful proposed partnership between Coillte, the State forestry company, and Gresham House, a UK for-profit fund with a plan to buy up huge swaths of forestry and land in this country to make money. Last week, I met environmental and small farmer groups that have established a campaign using the slogans "Save our land", "Save our forests" and "Stop this deal". The Tánaiste is saying the deal that has been made is a done deal and that the Government might look at things in the future. He is saying it is all to do with Coillte. The House and the Government set, and should set, the mandate of Coillte. We have a dysfunctional forestry model that has failed on environmental and afforestation grounds, and on just about every level. Will the Tánaiste, to prevent the protests planned for next week, commit that the deal will be abandoned and that the mandate of Coillte will be changed?

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