Sarah O'Reilly (Aontú) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. I have been hearing good reports back from my colleagues on Cavan County Council. I hope he means to go on as he has started.

In January, Storm Éowyn left behind a trail of destruction that was unprecedented in scale. Half of this devastation was on private land, meaning thousands of farmers, rural families and small landholders saw decades of investment wiped out in a matter hours. These people are now facing immense financial strain and a great deal of uncertainty, some having invested in planting their land as a future investment or a private pension. One forestry owner, who is a constituent of mine, recently shared that his timber was five years off maturity when Storm Éowyn hit and the impact on the market has been devastating. Before Christmas, sawlog was fetching approximately €100 per cubic metre but now prices have dropped to approximately €50 or €60. This is a direct result of supply and demand. There is suddenly a massive increase of timber available and nowhere near enough market capacity to absorb it. This has taken away the freedom for forestry owners to choose when to harvest, picking a time when prices are fair and returns justify the years of work and patience. That option has now been taken away. They are being forced to sell into a collapsing market because of a freak weather event and a lack of timely Government intervention. They are also losing out on their yearly supplement. What kind of compensation package can the Minister of State achieve for these farmers, to include the loss of earnings for the years until maturity? I want to raise the issue of reckless and sometimes dangerous planting by Coillte, in some cases on important historical landmarks and monuments. Coillte is in the business of making money, of course. It is not in the business of managing facilities or amenities. I feel that for some sites, such as Killykeen, County Cavan, in Cavan Burren Park and Dún a Rí, which are amenity parks, Coillte cannot manage them effectively and that they should be signed over to the National Parks and Wildlife Service or even to some county councils. I hear the bell. Is that all I get?