An independent TD has called on Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) Pippa Hackett to “step back” over what he described as the “debacle” in forestry.
The Green Party senator, who has responsibility for land use and biodiversity, recently welcomed further progress made to improve the forestry-licensing system when she chaired the ninth meeting of the Forestry Policy Group.
However, deputy Michael Fitzmaurice has pointed to a decline in the amount of land for which afforestation licences have been issued in the first four months of the year.
He said that the DAFM forestry licensing dashboard shows that between January and April of 2020 afforestation licences were granted for 1,665ha. The TD claimed that year was deemed “a disaster” for forestry.
“In 2021, it was 1,949ha and we’re back at 1,374ha in the first four months of this year. And that’s not planting, it’s just licences,” he said.
Fitzmaurice does not believe that the shortfall can be made up during the remaining months of this year to match or exceed the 2021 total of 4,246ha. Afforestation licences were granted for 4,342ha in 2020.
“This whole debacle seems to be going on and on. The minister was helped in 2020; we waivered legislation to help both the planting and felling licences to get up.
“In relation to felling, it improved a bit but what is going on in the planting is just incredible.
“I think the minister must step back,” the Roscommon-Galway TD told Agriland.
“You cannot bring a no-confidence motion in a junior minister and that’s who has responsibility for forestry. But I think the minister should reflect herself and look at what has gone on because there is something seriously wrong,” he claimed.
Fitzmaurice said that farmers and cows rather than the department of agriculture will be blamed if Ireland does not hit its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets.
“In fairness, there is a new director of forestry in the department [Barry Delany]. I think they have to be given a chance over the coming months. I wish the new director the best of luck and I hope they will do something,” the TD added.
“But it’s a tarnished word now – forestry – and it’s thanks to a department and a minister that has looked over it.
“If that’s the case I think that you should move the chairs around a bit, give others a chance to see could they change it because we are the laughing stock of Europe when it comes to forestry,” he stated.
Fitzmaurice also said that it was “worrying” to see the retirement of Eamon O’Doherty from the role of external project management specialist on Project Woodland.
O’Doherty started in the role, which is dedicated entirely to the implementation of the project to reform the sector, on May 4, 2021.
In a statement to Agriland, the department said that “a replacement project manager is expected to appointed imminently”.