Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. It was reported towards the end of last month or last week that our managed forestry estate has become a net emitter of carbon, according to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. That would be a staggering finding as it contradicts the Government's position that Irish forests are a significant carbon sink and carbon store. I have just seen a statement provided by the Minister of State that refutes the claim so I would appreciate if she expanded on the issue. If the claim is true then it would make us one of two EU states where forests are emitters rather than carbon sinks.

Following freedom of information requests, we know that not a single environmental impact assessment was conducted on large scale plants in terms of peat soils. The forestry model has been touched on a lot here today. A new forestry strategy is due but it must deliver for biodiversity and our climate. It must also deliver for workers and communities who depend on forestry. The strategy must ensure that we grow the right trees in the right place yet not sacrifice biodiversity in the west, for example, by planting Sitka spruce or enable biodiversity destruction on intensive dairy farms in the east.

The last issue that I shall speak to is the honey bee. It is mentioned in the Sinn Féin amendment because we must protect the Irish native honey bee as it is at risk of extinction. A recent study showed that, potentially, we have the greatest reserve of the northern dark bee in the world. However, our magnificent bees are under threat from non-native bees that is leading to the hybridisation of our local native bees. I call on the Government to give particular consideration to the Irish native honey bee and act as quickly as possible as every passing day erodes the genetics of local bee colonies.