A new chairperson has been appointed to the Forestry Appeals Committee (FAC).

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for forestry, Michael Healy-Rae has appointed Edmund Carrol as chairperson.

Minister Healy-Rae said the new chairperson brings a "wealth of experience and expertise to the important role of chair of the FAC, and I wish him the very best in his new role".

Carrol will take over the role from Séamus Neely.

His appointment is effective from November 1, 2025 until October 31, 2028.

Based in the Agriculture Appeals Office in Portlaoise, the FAC was established as an independent appeals body, under the Agriculture Appeals Act, 2001, as amended.

The committee hears appeals from applicants or third parties against department decisions on licences in respect of afforestation, tree felling, forest road works and aerial fertilisation.

Minister Healy-Rae said: "I would like to acknowledge Séamus Neely’s excellent work in chairing and overseeing an effective and responsive appeals process over the last few years, and I wish him well in the future.

"I would also like to thank the deputy chairpersons, all the members of the committee and the staff of the Agriculture Appeals Office for their continued contribution in ensuring an effective and efficient appeals service for the forestry sector.”

Forestry infrastructure

New chairperson Edmund Carrol said the FAC is a "critical part of the national forestry infrastructure, serving to ensure that access to information, decision-making and justice as provided for in the Aarhus Convention and the provisions of the Agriculture Appeals Act, 2001 are fully realised".

"I am delighted to take on this important role of chair and to continue to build on the great work of my predecessor," he added.

He was a chartered quantity surveyor for 13 years before changing career to that of barrister in 1990.

He practised on the South Western Circuit and then joined the office of Attorney General in 2001 as advisory counsel.

He worked in a number of areas in that office but in later years was primarily advising on planning and environmental matters before retiring in 2024.