Vol. 433 No. 1
32 Mr. Rabbitte asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if he has considered the ESRI report, The Impact of Forestry on Rural Communities, which suggested that up to 10,000 additional jobs could be created in forestry; his response to the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I have considered the report referred to by the Deputy.
This report, the Impact of Forestry on Rural Communities, which was in fact commissioned under the forestry operational programme operated by my Department comments favourably on the impact of forestry on rural development and job creation in Ireland.
The Deputy will be aware that the Government in its Programme for a Partnership Government has identified forestry as a key sector and therefore places a strong emphasis on the development of this indigenous natural resource which has the potential to create sustainable employment in both the primary and processing sectors.
At present my Department is preparing a new forestry programme under EC Regulation 2080/92 which covers the forestry accompanying measures to the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy and this programme will be geared towards achieving the planting target set by the Government which is 30,000 hectares per annum and maintaining this level to the year 2000. Achieving this target will result in about 10 per cent of the land area of this country being under forest by the year 2000 and according to the above mentioned report this will in time generate up to 10,000 additional jobs in forestry and forestry related industries.
