The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has sought to “clarify” the extent of the engagement it has had with Coillte in recent months.
During a meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine this week, representatives from Coillte said that the forestry body is “engaging” with the IFA to support farmers with afforestation.
Coillte chairperson Bernie Gray told the committee that the government asked Coillte how it can work more closely with farmers, along with potentially acquiring land directly, which would be subject to state aid rules.
She said: “We’re also in engagement with the IFA to see how we can support farmers, because it is clear when you look at the landholding in Ireland that farmers are the major landholders. We’re not.”
“We have 7% of the land in Ireland but farmers have significantly more,” Gray added.
Responding to these remarks, Jason Fleming, the IFA’s national farm forestry chairperson, gave further details on this engagement.
He said: “An IFA delegation met with Coillte in late January 2023 to outline farmers’ deep concerns with regards to Coillte’s afforestation plans as set out in their Strategic Vision, and in particular their engagement with a forestry fund managed by Gresham House.
“At that meeting we invited Coillte to attend a public meeting to provide a forum for farmers to engage with Coillte in relation to the investment fund and their future plans.
“However, there has been no further engagement with Coillte,” Fleming said.
He added: “While we are disappointed that they have not agreed to such a meeting, the invitation stands.”
Coillte chair Bernie Gray appeared before the Oireachtas committee to outline the background to Coillte’s agreement with the UK investment fund Gresham House to establish the Irish Strategic Forestry Fund, “in light of the recent concerns that have been expressed”.
She said that when Coillte appeared before the committee in December it was not possible to confirm details of the controversial €200 million fund as “it had not yet been finalised”.
The Irish Strategic Forestry Fund is a collaboration between Coillte, the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF), which is state-owned, and Gresham House.