The Rural Independent Group is calling on the Department of Agriculture to “finally resolve” the forestry crisis.

TD for Cork South West Michael Collins said that the “cliff-edge drop in productivity has gone on far too long”.

Last week, Minister of State with responsibility for land use Pippa Hackett confirmed that an external review of Ireland’s forestry-licensing system is set to commence.

Minister Hackett said that a “preferred bidder” has been selected to undertake the review.

Forestry regulatory system ‘in shreds’

Meanwhile, deputy Collins said that Ireland’s forestry regulatory system is currently “in shreds”, with afforestation rates “on the floor”.

“The government [is] unapologetically abandoning this crucial sector,” he said.

The deputy made these claims following last week’s Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

“I challenged the secretary general of the Department of Agriculture [at the meeting] on why all forestry projects continue to face very long delays to gain the necessary approvals for felling and other work,” deputy Collins continued.

“This failing is leading to a wood shortage and massive price hikes in construction materials.

“This failure on the part of the department has caused the country’s afforestation rates to drop, farm forestry programmes are nearly dead, and the entire regulatory system is broken.”

The deputy said the department, especially Minister Charlie McConalogue, “must get serious about this ongoing problem”.

“It is essential to address the logjam situation if we are to successfully use forestry to sequester large amounts of carbon and fight climate change,” the deputy added.

“At this point, my colleagues and I in the Rural Independent Group believe that the government [is] utterly dragging [its] feet on this issue and are lacking the motivation and desire to bring forward the rapid solutions that are required.”