The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is currently considering recruiting more staff for the Forestry Appeals Committee (FAC).

Fianna Fáil TD Ryan O'Meara recently asked Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon about the number of appeals received by the FAC in 2024

In response, the minister said the committee was established under the Agriculture Appeals Act 2001 to provide an appeals service against decisions on forestry licence applications made to the minister.

Forestry

Minister Heydon noted that appeals can be made to the committee on a number of grounds.

"When an appeal is notified to my department by the FAC, my department prepares a statement of fact which sets out my department's response to each of the grounds raised.

"In more complex appeals, the preparation of these statements involves input from many sources within my department.

"Once submitted to the FAC, it is the responsibility of the FAC to schedule the hearing of cases," he said.

In 2024, there were 115 appeals submitted to the committee in relation to forestry licences.

During the year, 77 appeals were processed, while 36 were awaiting a decision and two licences were appealed to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

Appeals

Minister Heydon said that "appeals have become more complex since the foundation of the FAC".

"My department is working actively to improve the time it takes to process these increasingly complex cases through improved processes and working with the FAC to clarify procedures where these are being raised by appellants.

"The FAC itself is also looking at its procedures with a view to processing appeals more quickly.

"I am confident that these initiatives will improve the time it takes for the FAC to consider affirming more department decisions on licences," Minster Heydon said.