Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this Commencement matter. I thank the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, for agreeing to take this Commencement matter. She is, after all, the lead Minister in relation to forestry and I acknowledge that. The European Commission has now approved under the EU state aid rules Ireland’s new forestry programme. We are now at the start, albeit somewhat delayed. We had much debate and engagement. I certainly had a great deal of engagement on the matter with the Department and the Minister. We are where we are. We now have an ambitious programme of €1.3 billion up and running. It will run from 2023 to 2027. Targets are a key aspect of the programme. The target of the scheme is to reach 18% forestry cover in Ireland by the end of 2027. I do not know how that will be achieved. Let us live in hope. The trajectory of the targets is going in that direction. It is ambitious and there is much to do. I am of the view that it is time we had a national forestry authority to help to restore the confidence of farmers, foresters and forestry growers in the industry. As Members know, currently we have Coillte, which despite what some people might think, is not the national forestry authority of Ireland. We have the Department’s own forestry section within the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Both of these are doing exceptionally good work. We also have the private sector. The breakdown is around 48% and 52% between both private and public. That is quite high. I was surprised that the public sector forestry is as high as it is. The Social Economic Environmental Forestry Association, SEEFA, is one of the largest forestry groups in Ireland. SEEFA has expressed frustration continuously with the Department for its refusal to meet and engage with it. Many Senators and Deputies will have received correspondence yesterday, 27 September, setting out its concerns and its frustration. I am not getting into dialogue about the ins and outs of the Department because I am not privy to all the facts. It would not be appropriate. Suffice to say that SEEFA has expressed absolute frustration. On numerous occasions I have appealed to the Minister at the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine to meet SEEFA. I would do so again. As I said, Coillte and the forestry section in the Department do exceptional and important work, which needs to continue. However, I believe that the national forestry authority for which I am advocating, and for which many others before me have advocated, would drive the industry forward, would listen to the State and the private sectors together and would provide an equal pitch for both. The Taoiseach has said about forestry that he sees a synergy, a co-operation and a partnership with the private sector. I have no issues with the private sector. We want trees planted in the right places, as the Minister of State constantly says. Such an authority could for example take regulatory responsibilities, deal with licences and related planning and planting matters, and ensure a more fair and open competition and regulation sector and allow transparency right across the sector. If we have to be successful, and I know the Minister of State buys into this, we need to work equally – “equally” being the operative word here – with both the public and the private sector. We need to enter into a new spirit of partnership and co-operation with all people, be it small forestry people, farmers, foresters, nursery growers, arboriculturists that is, the whole array of people who interplay in this industry. I call for serious consideration to be given to an independent State forestry board.