Ann Ormonde (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. It is my first opportunity to wish her well in her role. I know very little about forestry. Many years ago the area of forestry was covered by the Department of Lands and Forestry, but it suddenly faded out of the picture and I no longer heard any discussion of this issue. When I heard the Minister of State was to receive this new brief I thought she was in a win-win situation. Forestry is good for the economy, for farmers and for the environment, especially in view of climate change. The Minister of State has a major role to play here. She can turn it into anything she wants but it will be a success story. I know she is working towards this in all of the areas I mentioned.

I love trees. I love walking in the environment and looking at old trees and talking about them. They offer a whole new way to consider our environment and our archaeology, and the world out there wants wooded landscapes. We do not want to be surrounded by flatness but to have the feeling of woodland. It is beautiful to see the old trees in blossom. The Minister of State has a golden opportunity to improve the environment.

We know the introduction of the new FEP scheme is good for farmers, and Senator Carty has talked about this. The Minister of State has spoken about the various grants that are now given to part-time farmers to supplement their incomes. This is a golden opportunity for the farming industry and an opportunity to rethink the area of agriculture from the point of view which used to prevail many years ago. It is good to see it coming back into play and to see that the Minister of State has been given a significant role in changing it for the farmer and industry.

It is terrible that we import wood because I love hurling. I am always talking about hurleys, particularly my team in Waterford which I love to see. Yet we import this timber when we have a golden opportunity, particularly in respect of ash which is needed so much. There will be considerable interest from now until next October, so the timber is needed. We have the hardwood saw mills about which the Minister of State spoke. We talked about the transport aspect of it and how important it is for the economy. We can turn this industry into a world industry. We have the potential to make it a real industry for the country.

I wish the Minister of State well. I admire what she is doing and will fully support her endeavours.