Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State will be well aware that there are significant concerns regarding the many limitations of the new forestry programme. I have engaged across the board in relation to forestry and have not met a single farmer, forester, organisation representing those involved in forestry, private forestry company or mill that has any confidence in the forestry programme. They have raised significant concerns, particularly around the limitations. They cannot all be wrong. While the Minister of State has moved to assure us that the capacity is there within the system to issue licences for the 8,000 ha target, I am not convinced the applications will be there. The forestry dashboard shows that just 152 ha out of the required 667 for the month have been achieved and just two forestry licences were issued in the past week.

Is the Minister of State aware of people's concerns? I presume they have been put to her. Is she convinced that this forestry programme is going to work and we will meet our target of 8,000 hectares annually?

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