Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Bruton is correct in that this represents 1% of the overall ambition. When one hears terms like this is a sell-out and a land-grab, perhaps some of that commentary is overplayed.

He is also correct in his assertion that, at the moment, land use in general is an emitter as opposed to a sequester of carbon. For years we have been getting it wrong.

I know the Minister of State’s passion for and interest in this whole area and that really comes through but in respect of Coillte and how it has conducted its operations over the past number of years I have very significant concerns. That is because I have seen it on the ground in my own constituency in west Cork. I am one of the very first persons to praise Coillte when it does things right and when it creates amenity parks and walkways through a piece of woodland so that the community can enjoy it. It has done that in my constituency around Castlefreke, where it has created amazing walks and amenities. It has done it in Avondale in Wicklow and in Curraghchase, which is a fantastic forest park in Limerick. When it gets it right, it gets it right, but from a commercial point of view it seems to be hell-bent for the past number of years in selling off bits of land to private entities where the sale will benefit one rather than the community and the many.

We have seen that replicated right throughout Ireland and I can give two real examples. In my constituency in west Cork in Castlefreke, in Rathbarry, which I mentioned earlier, Coillte owns a fantastic amenity. There is woodland there and commercial forestry which was previously owned by Coillte which is mixed with old deciduous forestry and native woodland. There was a proposal in 2018 to sell off a large swathe of this amenity. It is only by pure luck that the community picked up on it, we became active and prevented the sale.

In 2018, it harked back to the political meetings of old when we would gather at the crossroads. I remember that we met at the crossroads at Rathbarry and we were joined by hundreds of community individuals who wanted to keep this amenity for the community. We did, we fought and we met at Rathbarry. Later there were thousands who met together at a meeting in Rosscarbery where we mobilised and prevented the sale. No community should have to go through that battle to prevent the sale of an amenity owned by Coillte, which is funded by the State.

We thought that battle was over, the amenity is there and it is still very much a community amenity but then we moved to Ballymartle, which is an area which has been discussed in this Chamber quite often. The community in Ballymartle are facing the exact same battle where, again, Coillte seem hell-bent on selling off an amenity enjoyed by the community to benefit a single individual or a private company. Again, it is the benefit of the few against the very significant benefits that woodland amenities have for the many. Again, so far we have prevented it and it has been stalled, but the community are having to fight tooth and nail to keep this extraordinary pristine piece of woodland for the community and for the public.

There seems to be this strategy, which has existed within Coillte for quite a while, to look at the commercial benefits of a few versus the community and the biodiversity benefits from hanging on to these extraordinary pieces of woodland. Now, the way I look at this is almost a similar approach but on a much larger scale. This is a real shame, as far as I am concerned, and a lost opportunity. As party spokesman on biodiversity and climate action, I know how difficult sometimes it can be to marry agriculture and biodiversity and, equally, to marry agriculture and climate action.

There are opportunities and we are seeing a sea change from within the agricultural community. It wants to do more, is buying into these agri-environment schemes, buying into the idea of mixed species swards, and is really going for solar in a big way from an energy point of view. Sustainable forestry was going to be a key method, and still will be, of the farming sector getting involved in improving and reducing emissions, sequestering carbon but also in pursuing biodiversity through sustainable, continuous and mixed woodland forestry.

If we go down the route of international investors in a larger scale - I appreciate the fact that it is only 1% of the overall targets but still it is there now in principle - I have very significant concerns because there are small forestry owners out there who are represented by forestry co-ops who have gone through a very stressful number of years in trying to get felling licences, planting licenses and in trying to get involved in forestry. I have been there, met them and I have walked woodlands with them where I have seen the obstacles they have come up against, including the red tape and bureaucracy they have faced. The Minister of State and her Department have done a great deal to remove much of that bureaucracy but I genuinely feel that this is the wrong approach.

I cannot stand over or defend it and we are going to see on a much greater scale nationally those community meetings we had in Rathbarry and Ballymartle, which were attended by hundreds of people, unless we get this right.

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