Vol. 436 No. 7
11 Mr. Dukes asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry if his attention has been drawn to the fear in many parts of the country on the part of rural dwellers that their lands and premises could be surrounded by forestry development; the proposals, if any, he has to meet those fears; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
27 Mrs. Owen asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the steps, if any, he intends to take to provide for rational planning of forestry development; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
34 Mr. Harte asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the steps, if any, he intends to take to provide for rational planning of forestry development; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
71 Mr. Noonan (Limerick East) asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the steps, if any, he intends to take to provide for rational planning of forestry development; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
89 Mr. E. Kenny asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry the steps, if any, he intends to take to provide for rational planning of forestry development; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 27, 34, 71 and 89 together.
It is a condition of grant-aid for forestry development that all such proposals are compatible with the protection of the environment, and I am committed to ensuring that this remains the case. A number of controls are already in place. These include an environmental impact assessment and planning permission for afforestation projects over a certain size, and as a condition in every case of grant assistance, compliance with guidelines covering compatibility with the landscape, fisheries and archaeology.
On site pre-planting inspections by my Department's forestry inspectors and consultations with local authorities and other bodies, where there is environmental concern, are key features of our current procedures in seeking to ensure compatibility between forestry development and the environment. Environmental considerations are playing an increasingly important role in our current policies and practices.
It is important to stress the positive role of forestry in supplementing farming incomes, as an agent in rural development and as an economic sector which is growing in importance. Strong support for forestry development is apparent in rural communities, as evidenced by the fact that farmers accounted for about 56 per cent of private sector planting last year.
The Minister of State reminded us that certain considerations have to be taken into account, for example, an environmental impact assessment and planning permission for forestry developments over a certain size. Will he indicate the size and confirm that the majority of forestry development projects are under it? Is he aware that people living in the western half of the country see the prospect of their farms being separated from those of their neighbours — not to speak of the view and roads — by small scale forestry developments over which they will have no control and about which they will not be consulted? Is he further aware that these people fear they will be isolated from the rest of their community? Does he have any plans to do anything about this?
Deputy Dukes asked which projects will be subject to an environmental impact assessment and planning permission. I can tell him that the amount of land involved is 200 hectares——
Five hundred hectares.
——which is a sizeable figure. On the question of environmental protection — this is one of the greatest safeguards — there has been a positive swing towards farm forestry developments as distinct from large scale blanket forestry developments with which we are all familiar. To take last year as an example, it is worth noting that farm forestry developments accounted for 56 per cent of private sector planting. I believe that farmers who plan forestry developments in their family farm holding will do so in a way that is environmentally friendly to ensure that they will not impinge on their neighbours. There is sufficient understanding and goodwill within the broader farming community to ensure this. In the new operational programme for forestry, for which I hope to receive approval in the near future, greater emphasis will be placed on farm forestry developments. I would like to make one final point. The greatest control is that all grant applications have to be approved by the Department. It is my intention to ensure that the Department's inspectors, in visiting farms and approving forestry developments, will be aware of the effects of forestry on the environment. In this regard I do not share the Deputy's pessimism in relation to forestry in general. I believe it has tremendous potential in terms of the contribution it can make to individual farmer's incomes having regard to the new premium scheme which has been introduced.
Will the Minister of State indicate what percentage of total forestry activity is accounted for by family farm forestry developments in the 12 western counties and what proportion of planting in the 12 western counties is accounted for by family farm forestry developments? Has he any indication of the proportion of land planted in the 12 western counties during the past two years? For example, how much has been leased by people who do not live in those counties but who are using this land to supplement their farming operations with a view to availing of the farmer retirement scheme? Finally — this is the only positive point — will his inspectors in the course of approving projects for grants take account of the social effect of forestry development on neighbouring farmers who may find themselves isolated from the rest of their community?
There are two remaining Priority Questions which I am anxious to dispose of, time permitting.
I regret that I do not have the statistics for the 12 western counties to which the Deputy referred but I will make them available to him. However, I should remind him that it is a matter for individual farmers to decide if they wish to make land available for sale for the purposes of forestry and it is one over which we cannot exercise control. I am sure the Deputy will agree that farmers in the east or west still have the right to decide what they should do with the land. It would be wrong of anybody in this House to suggest that we should exercise unnecessary control over the right of individual landowners or small farmers to do what they feel is right with their land. On the question of the social effects to which the Deputy referred I accept that concern has been expressed. All I can do is direct him to the ESRI report published in the current year on the social impact of forestry on communities in which it is clearly demonstrated that properly planned forestry developments make a significant contribution to economic development in rural Ireland.
The Minister of State said he will not plan.
All the downstream jobs are going to Waterford.
Order, time is fast running out for Priority Questions today. Let us hear a reply to Question No. 12, please.
