Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There was a lot of anger from many people from various sections of society outside Leinster House today. I will cut straight to the chase. Investment funds or vulture funds, whatever they are called, are again making profit from taxpayers' money. It is as simple as that. Here we go again. Our natural resources for use by the Irish people are being given away or are being chipped away by privatisation for profit. This will affect a number of rural community groups and farmers. The Minister of State referenced depopulation of communities. This will add to it. We need investment in our own stock.

I have dealt with Coillte. There is absolutely no oversight of it. It is a quango created by the quango specialists; we know who they are. Coillte is not working. We closed the sugar beet industry a number of years ago because we were told we did not need it. We were then told we did not need fertiliser and we shut down the fertiliser industry. We gave away most of our fishing rights. We have given away oil and are now going to give away another natural resource. It is absolutely bonkers.

What is more worrying, however, is the Minister was asked during the recent meeting of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether international investment funds involved in the new forestry initiative will also be able to draw direct payments under the Common Agricultural Policy if they hold a herd number. The assistant secretary general of the Department replied that the herd number defines you as a farmer, and that there are farmers that incorporate as companies, so farmers can draw a single payment as long as they were claiming a single payment since 2008. Asked whether the looming forestry investment companies, both foreign and domestic, will be able to draw from the Department's grants and premiums annually, plus the newly established grants under the forestry programme for 2023 to 2027, the Minister said yes, for 15 years. It is absolutely bonkers. I could find other words for it.

We never learn from our mistakes. Our natural resources are the biggest gift this country has. I heard some previous speakers state that Europe is putting us under pressure. I can remember 30 years ago, when we were going on about climate action and spreading manure. What did we do about it? Nothing. It only suits the Government when Europe says X or Y so it can pick and choose. The Government will meet major resistance to this. I urge the Minister of State to go back to reconfigure or get rid of Coillte. The Government should not sell, or even rent, our natural resources for profit because it is killing our people by starving them of all the resources and what we can do with them. I am just so angry, as are the people outside Leinster House. I ask the Government seriously to reconsider this.

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