Results 601-620 of 766 for speaker:Pippa Hackett

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: I am sure that is the case. If, when they are felled, those trees are stored in long-term products such as buildings, that is where we will get the greatest benefit. It is important to point out that the purpose and direction of travel are not only about carbon capture. They are also about biodiversity, water and the amenity value of trees for communities. There is a much broader demand...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: I thank Deputy Michael Collins. As the Deputy will be aware, the climate action plan includes 8,000 ha per year. As the Deputy says, there is other evidence out there and different sectors have come up with other figures. It may well be the case that we might have to hit higher targets in years to come but at the moment we are focused on hitting the 8,000 ha per year. My Department is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: Under the climate action plan, which will be rewritten again this year - it gets rewritten every year - , the target is 8,000 ha. That is our target at the moment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: I am aware of the publication. I am not saying it is incorrect. I am saying there are different calculations. Currently, based on our climate action plan, we are at 8,000 ha. As I say, it may well have to go up to meet the targets, especially if we have a slow start to this decade.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: I am not saying it is incorrect. I am saying the current target is 8,000 ha in our climate action plan. If we get more detailed science in that changes that, that will be amended.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: I am not sure what costs the Deputy is referring to.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: I am not aware of any upfront costs. We have provided for environmental grant payments. Usually the planting grants cover the cost of planting for the forestry companies to plant. That is covered by grants. I am not aware of any upfront costs until they get approved. There may be some associated costs that they may have to carry until the grant is approved but that would be not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: There is a replanting obligation. One has to replant anything that is felled. There will be a continuity of supply in that sense. I suppose there is a certain area of land - I do not have the figure on me - under Coillte management that might not be replanted because it has been on the wrong type of land, it is too close to certain areas, there is too deep peat, etc., but the replanting...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: I do not know what the Deputy means by "the cost", sorry.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: There have been challenges in recent years because of issues with licensing. In fact, it has slowed down the wheels of motion in the rural economy from a forestry perspective, but we have cleared up the vast majority of issues in relation to licensing. We have a free-running machine now. If we start to see a ramping up of our afforestation and a delivering on our targets, we will see...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: We are aware of SEEFA. In fact, many of its members were part of my Project Woodland and we would have engaged over the past couple of years on an individual basis. They were there to represent other parts of the sectors. We have spoken about this previously. On reflection, they have been active in this sector for maybe a year and a half or two years. I had a look at their webpage...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: Regarding the new programme, we have pre-application discussions for applicants to help clarify issues and what it means for them. These discussions get them over much of the hump. We are also rolling out training for departmental officials and foresters. It can be online. I believe it will be in person with the foresters from next week. We are cognisant of bringing people up to speed so...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: Ash dieback has been a significant issue for more than a decade. We have had two schemes, neither of which really had restrictions on tree types. Even now, some of the former ash dieback plantations have been changed to broadleaves or conifers. That choice lies with the landowner. Unfortunately, state aid rules will come into play. This is not the Department using them as an excuse not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: I am actively encouraging farmers to apply for the current ash dieback scheme, as doing so will not prejudice them from any future scheme. They will have to get a licence anyway and clear what is there. We are supporting that. For example, we have doubled the payments for clearance and so forth. Farmers should be clearing automatically. Regarding announcements about a new scheme, we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: With the applications at hand, I hope that we will be issuing afforestation licences. We started last week and will continue to issue licences. No trees can really be planted until 1 November or thereabouts. I hope that there will be work and that there will be a demand for nursery stock.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: We are going to train them all. All foresters have been invited and they are eager to learn. There are approximately 200 foresters in the all-island forestry. I am informed that the meetings are all-island and there are approximately 200 foresters.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: There is a lot to go through there. I accept that we are at a stage where we need to rebuild confidence in the sector and among farmers. Saying that, I have visited many happy forest owners across the country as part of my job. We do not tend to hear from them. They choose not to shout about it or if they do, they get drowned out by so much negativity in the sector, which we absolutely...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: Not if it has more than 30 cm of peat.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine: Ireland's Forestry Programme and Strategy: Discussion (4 Oct 2023)

Pippa Hackett: In fact the terms and conditions are even stricter because no licence is needed.