Forestry
The chair of the Forestry Appeals Committee has been reappointed for a further three months, after the completion of his two-year contract.
The Forestry Appeals Committee (FAC) received 127 valid appeals against licence decisions in 2024, according to a report.
Minister of State Michael Healy-Rae has said he has asked the FAC to prioritise forestry appeals concerning windblown sites.
The Forestry Appeals Committee (FAC) published 101 appeal decisions relating to 66 licence decisions throughout last year.
The Forestry Appeals Committee saw a "huge reduction in [the] backlog and turnaround times" of forestry licence appeals last year.
The Joint Oireachtas Committee will hear from a representative of FII later today, who will address the current crisis in the forestry sector.
Agri Politics
The timing and speed of the Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2020 is "reflective of the grave circumstances in the forestry sector".
The number of forestry appeals received by the FAC so far in 2020 is almost three times the amount received in 2017 and 2018 combined.
If the situation surrounding the forestry licence logjam doesn’t get fixed, there will be "a lot of people joining dole queues".
The Forestry Appeals Committee (FAC) made no decision on a forestry licence appeal between July 31 and the week ending Friday, September 11.
The Dáil Business Committee has approved the fast tracking of the Agriculture Appeals (Amendment) Bill 2020 to deal with the appeals backlog.
Agri-Business
Trade union SIPTU has called for "immediate action" to resolve problems in the regulatory and licencing system for tree felling.
The logjam in obtaining planting and felling licences from the Forest Service is "clogging up the whole system", one forest stakeholder says.
Licences for tree felling and forest roads issued in the month of March continue to show an improved rate on the previous months.
It has been announced today that Bart Brady will become the new chairperson of the Forestry Appeals Committee (FAC).
