Vol. 432 No. 4
86 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if his attention has been drawn to the major problems confronting many landowners concerning the refusal by Coillte Teoranta either to erect or maintain forest boundary fences; whether Coillte have any responsibility in this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I do not have a statutory function in relation to this matter but my attention has been drawn to certain problems in this area.
For the information of the Deputy, the legal position is that the onus rests on landowners to prevent animal trespass onto the property of other landowners. It is thus the case that Coillte do not have a legal responsibility to erect or maintain forest boundary fencing although in practise fencing is carried out in order to protect young plantations.
Although I do not have a function to discharge in this regard, I am anxious that maximum co-operation should prevail and I intend to encourage all parties involved to approach problems arising in this area in a co-operative spirit.
