Senator Pippa Hackett:

The Deputy will be aware that in the past we made mistakes in the context of where we planted. Unfortunately, we have planted trees in the wrong places. This has impacted on the environment, whether that be habitats, species or water quality. The Commission was strong on this matter and stated that we cannot in any way repeat any of those mistakes.

As the Deputy said, there are challenges in respect of environmental requirements and restrictions. That said, there is still a vast amount of land that is suitable for planting trees. Farmers have a vast array of options available to them. Some of the afforestation schemes are more invasive than others in terms of their impact on the environment. Others are less so. I refer, for example, to agroforestry, in which farmers are interested and which can be incorporated into farms. These are the elements we take into account. As already stated, we are committed to increasing our afforestation rate but it is essential that this is done in an environmentally sustainable manner.

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