Coillte has “turned its back on Irish famers” by backing the Gresham House forestry fund, the Rural Independent Group has said.
The leader of the Rural Independents, Deputy Mattie McGrath, said today (Friday, January 27) that the new ‘Irish Strategic Forestry Fund’ backed by Coillte is a “destructive deal”.
The Minister for Agriculture, Charlie McConalogue has repeatedly said on a number of occasions this week that the Gresham House, Coillte-backed forestry fund is not the government’s “preferred option”.
But Deputy McGrath has accused Minister McConalogue and the Minister of State with responsibility for land use and biodiversity, Pippa Hackett, of failing to “protect the public interest”
“The Minister for Agriculture, Charlie McConalogue, failed to use his office to stall or block the deal.
“Therefore, it is now clear that the minister and the government have been complicit in this sell-off deal.
“There is simply no defence for the failure of Minister McConalogue and Minister of State Hackett to protect the public interest, as international investment vehicles are allowed to swoop in and asset strip up to 100,000 hectares of Irish farmland,” the Tipperary TD added.
Coillte-backed deal
The Cork South West TD, Michael Collins has also accused Coillte of “turning its back on Irish farmers”.
“This private investment land-grab deal is an atrocious deal for rural communities, the taxpayer and for farmers.
“The deal is also an outright attack on our national sovereignty and is a breach of the social contract that is supposed to exist between the state and the people,” Deputy Collins added.
Meanwhile the Ireland Midlands North-West MEP, Luke Ming Flanagan, said: “Agroforestry can deliver on many fronts and the billions currently being marshalled by Coillte would be much better used in incentivising the take up of agroforestry across all farms in Ireland.
“Agroforestry has a place on all farms from the most intensive to the extensive. It can build resilient and sustainable food production systems and increase productivity as trees give cover and protection to crops and animals in extremes of weather.”
Earlier this week the Minister for Agriculture told the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine that that he was “only aware of the deal after the deal was done” in relation to the Gresham House, Coillte backed forestry fund.
But the Independent TD for Tipperary, Michael Lowry has questioned “how a deal of such huge significance get through without ministerial or government intervention?”
Deputy Lowry said:
“It stretches credibility to suggest that it was sanctioned without government knowledge. The arrangement put forward is a sell-out of a national resource. It is not acceptable.
“It does not have the support of industry partners. It does not have the support of the public, either rural or urban.”