An independent TD has described a “rot” in the current government’s progress with the private forestry sector.
Independent TD for Laois-Offaly Carol Nolan has criticised the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue and the Minister of state for Land Use and Biodiversity, Pippa Hackett in relation to Ireland’s forestry strategy.
Deputy Nolan said :“It’s as if the department or the minister’s own perspective and ambition toward the sector has been infected by the political equivalent of Ash dieback.
“It is causing havoc and untold harm to the reputational integrity of the state as a supporter of forestry enterprise.”
Deputy Nolan was speaking after the Social, Economic Environmental Forestry Association of Ireland (SEEFA) said that the department’s “blatant policy to undermine private afforestation efforts in Ireland is gathering momentum,” with just six afforestation licences issued for the entire country.
SEEFA says that this brings the weekly average to just eight for March.
The association has also called on Minister McConalogue to detail the department’s actual performance versus their licencing plan for Q1 2024 per licence and scheme type.
“There is clearly a policy rot at the heart of this administration when it comes to the private forestry sector,” Deputy Nolan said.
The Laois Offaly TD said: “It is way beyond time for someone to take charge of this decline and hit reverse before the situation becomes irretrievable”.
She has called for the ministers to reverse what she describes as “the almost inexorable decline of the private forestry sector in Ireland.”
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) issued 81 afforestation licences so far this year, according to the latest forestry dashboard.
The department estimates that it will issue 1,000 afforestation licences in 2024.
To date this year, there has been 71 valid afforestation applications. 20 were issued for the final week in February.
So far this year 667ha have been planted, according to the dashboard.