asked the Minister for Tourism, Fisheries and Forestry if the shortage of timber supplies from State forests is hampering the output from the sawmilling industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Timber Supplies.
17.
The supply of sawlog currently available from State forests represents about 60 per cent of the capacity of Irish sawmills and that imbalance will not be totally eliminated until well into the next decade.
The actual throughput in the sawmilling industry at present is about 675,000m³ per annum. In 1985 my Department sold some 600,000m³ of sawlogs to the industry and it is intended to market 625,000m³ in 1986.
Is the Minister aware that at the moment sawmills are working at half capacity, that export orders have been lost and a substantial amount of timber has been imported that could have been processed at home? There is a difference of opinion as to whether the Department have the necessary raw materials but the general view in the industry is that the timber is available if the Department were to put it on the market. This would meet some of the requirements of the sawmilling industry and save job losses which are occurring throughout the industry. Will the Minister give some indication that he can do anything to resolve the problem?
The Department are putting on the market all materials available from State forests. The volume of timber has increased gradually consistent with good silviculture practices and it is estimated that the amount of sawlogs available will reach 750,000m³ by 1990. The problem is we cannot get trees to grow any quicker than they are growing. We know the market will be sufficiently supplied in the next decade but until then we have not enough timber to meet the demands of all the sawmills. It is as simple as that.
The Minister has not denied the point I made. It is alleged that there are substantial amounts of timber in the forests that could be put on the market if the personnel were available to put them up for sale. Will the Minister indicate if that is the position? Is there a substantial volume of timber that could be put on the market if the personnel were available?
That is not the reason for the shortfall. As I have explained, the capacity in the sawmilling industry is way beyond what is available. I have indicated what will be available for this year and next year as best I could and, even if we had more people, we could not improve on those figures. The alternative is to cut down timber that is not properly matured or supply timber that would mean a shortfall in subsequent years. The Deputy spoke about import substitution. I wish to point out that home grown timber has increased its share of the market by 40 per cent in the last few years and that has cut down on imports quite considerably. We are working on both fronts. There is import substitution to a considerable extent but the kernel of the problem is that what timber is available in the large sawlog category is being made available to the trade.
Will the Minister not agree that most of the products of the forests in the Border region are going to Northern Ireland? This is because there is no grant aid for processing because it is claimed there is adequate capacity. Will the Minister not agree that the capacity is in the wrong areas?
I shall be answering a question later with regard to Northern Ireland and perhaps the Deputy will be satisfied with the information I shall give.