Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Andrew Doyle, on his appointment and wish him very well. I am sure it is a great honour.

My Adjournment matter refers to afforestation in County Leitrim, of which I know the Minister of State is aware based on other representations that have been made to him. Traditional farming in the area is under threat. The reality is that while the forest service has aggressive targets to increase planting throughout the country, which is an honourable ambition, we cannot approach the country as if it was a blank canvas, because it is not. The official afforestation level of county Leitrim is listed as 17%, but anecdotally I have found that from speaking to people locally it is very unbalanced and the figure may be significantly higher than that.

The fact there are no planning regulations in regard to forestry and one merely needs the approval of the forest service, is wrong. Last week planning enforcement in Sligo informed me that I needed to take down a modest sign outside my office which I was not allowed to erect without planning permission. That is reasonable and I will take the appropriate steps. However, somebody can plant 17 ha with mere approval, and it appears that once he or she has begun to plant 17 ha, he or she is entitled to plant a further 17 ha.

I can provide Minister of State with examples in Cloone, County Leitrim, where five plantations have begun in as many months. This is closing down communities. People want their right to light and views. There is no right to a view, but we must be cognisant of these issues and not approach the country with the attitude that it is a blank canvas. County Leitrim, west County Cavan and parts of Sligo are being targeted by wealthy speculators who can buy land at a cheaper price and, in some cases, pay a premium for land. The net result is that young local farmers who want to achieve some scale in their farming activities cannot compete. They cannot enter the industry because, as I said, wealthy speculators who have the benefit of premia and larger farms throughout the country with larger scale, shorter winters and better land are able to pay more.

The premia that attaches to this afforestation covers larger operations to the extent that they will make a profit, which pushes local people and communities out of business. The Minister of State should remember that the north west is a substantial part of the engine room of the suckler herd of this country which, as he knows, is from where some 40% of the weanlings come.

Local people are entitled to begin a career in farming in that part of the country, but if we are going to push them out of the sector by allowing this to take place, that is fundamentally wrong. Planning applications must be required for substantial afforestation and we must approach the country in an even manner. We cannot push everything into the north west of Leitrim, west Cavan and Sligo.

I would like the Minister of State to visit Cloone and Drumkeeran in County Leitrim and Blacklion in Cavan. I can show him three examples of communities being swallowed by afforestation. We need to plant more trees to improve the national carbon footprint, which is admirable, but that should not happen solely in our part of the country. We are well covered. In fact, we are over-covered and it is impeding upon communities. They cannot maintain the tradition of rural Ireland and produce quality beef through the suckler herd.

Will the Minister of State contact my office and arrange to come to that part of the country on a date on which he is available? I have no doubt that Deputies Eamon Scanlon, Tony McLoughlin and Martin Kenny, who also serve the constituency, share my views and would also be happy to visit the area with the Minister of State if he were prepared to make time. I know he has family members who are involved in forestry. They perhaps know infinitely more about it than I ever will. All I know is the reality of what is happening in my area, the distress it is causing to communities and the imbalance it is causing to our part of the country.

Statistically, the figures probably look good within the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in terms of more trees being planted. As I said, the unintended negative impacts of this approach must be addressed by the Minister of State. It may well be the case that the premia that attaches to these plantings should be preserved for local people who will farm in the area rather than speculators from other parts of the country who have more capacity and can make profits by pricing local people out of the market. They are looking after their carbon footprint in their own parts of the country.

The programme for a partnership Government states that next year there will be a review of this issue. It is alleged that Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice may not have supported the Government because he pushed very strongly on this issue, as I know other rural Deputies have. I appeal to the Minister of State to take appropriate action in this regard and have his office make contact about what dates suit him to visit.

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. This is my first opportunity to speak on this issue and on an Adjournment debate. The Deputy and I have known each other for quite a while and I am conscious of this issue. I was made well aware of the issue of afforestation in County Leitrim. Perhaps it is one of the consequences of having a policy. No matter how good it is, it always has the potential to upset people.

The Deputy acknowledged the important contribution that forestry makes it to the economy, environment and society. The Government has invested significantly, as have previous Governments, in the development of forestry over recent decades. A vibrant export-orientated forest product sector is one outcome from that investment, as is the contribution forestry makes to climate change mitigation.

The role of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is to assist the development of the forestry sector. The afforestation grant and premium scheme administered by my Department aims to increase the area under forest in Ireland from its current low base of just under 11%. In this context, it should be noted that the EU average is 38%. It is not intended or proposed that any increase in forest cover be undertaken without due regard to other elements within the environment.

The increase in the area under forest will be undertaken in a sustainable manner, contributing to the EU's priority of restoring, preserving and enhancing ecosystems related to agriculture and forestry. For this reason, all applications for approval to afforest land are advertised on the Department's website and are subject to detailed consideration and consultation with a number of notice bodies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, An Taisce and Inland Fisheries Ireland.

It is useful to consider the context of forest cover and the level of afforestation in Leitrim compared with national figures. Forests account for 10.8% of the land area of the country, with the forest cover in counties varying widely. In terms of forest cover as a proportion of the total county land area, the second national forestry inventory found that County Wicklow, the garden county, had the highest level of forest cover at 17.7%. Leitrim closely followed it at about 16.7%, a figure the Deputy mentioned.

As regards the ownership of lands under forestry in County Leitrim, I checked the figures and understand the bulk of the new forest plantation over the past couple of years has been undertaken by farmers. For example, of the 513 ha of new forest planting for which grants were paid in 2015, 81% was undertaken by farmers. Likewise in 2014, of the 272 ha of new forest in respect of which payments were made, just under 96% was undertaken by farmers.

It is also worth noting - perhaps we should engage in an awareness exercise - that farmers who hold valid herd numbers continue to have an advantage over non-farmers in that they can qualify for basic payment and forestry premium on the same land. They also qualify for areas of natural constraint and green, low-carbon, agri-environment scheme, GLAS, payments, whereas non-farmers cannot do so.

Forestry is a viable land use alternative and farmers have availed of the afforestation scheme in significant numbers in recent years. However, notwithstanding the continued availability of a State-funded afforestation programme, national planting figures have declined in recent years with payments made in 2014 for the new planting of 6,156 ha, compared to a peak of more than 23,000 ha in 1995. The general consensus is that it is necessary to achieve a higher rate of new forest planting to ensure a continuous, secure supply of quality timber from the forest industry. It is, therefore, vital to address the decline in the planting level now for the long-term future of the industry.

The afforestation grant and premium scheme, currently available under the forestry programme 2014 to 2020, offers a single premium rate. The scheme under former programmes offered different rates and for different periods of time depending on whether the applicant was a farmer or non-farmer. That was a change encouraged by the EU in terms of an equitable approach and also a recommendation of the Council for Forest Research and Development, COFORD.

In addition to an increased supply of timber in the long term, the other benefits of increased forest planting - for example, employment creation opportunities at the establishment phase and also those associated with the ongoing management of forests, including thinning and eventual clear-fell - should not be overlooked. It is worth noting that Masonite Ireland, located just outside Carrick-on-Shannon, is one of the largest ratepayers in County Leitrim. It employs a significant number of people, makes a very important contribution to the local economy and its activities are totally based on forestry. While an increase in planting levels is welcome, I am conscious of the concerns of the people of County Leitrim, including farmers. I am prepared to visit at a time that suits and I will consult with all colleagues to organise such a visit. I believe we can devise an approach and work out a solution.