Vol. 464 No. 2
146 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry whether it his policy to seek to substitute with Irish-grown long-run hardwood timbers the volume of hardwoods currently being imported into the country. [7935/96]
147 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry whether it is his policy to distinguish or differentiate between timbers from renewable and sustainable managed forests and timbers from non-renewable sources in view of the fact that such timbers are imported into this country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7936/96]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 146 and 147 together.
I have no proposals to distinguish between imported timber from sustainably and unsustainably managed sources. Certification of timber in relation to its source in this context is essentially a marketing mechanism and as such relies both on customer interest and on the development, operation and control of a certification system at the production or marketing stage.
Part of Ireland's forestry policy is to increase the planting of temperate hardwoods or broadleaves, which can substitute for tropical imports. Broadleaf planting in 1995 was 20 per cent of the overall total, a significant increase on the 3-4 per cent figure of a few years ago. I am obviously anxious to promote, wherever possible, import substitution in this area in the interests of employment and wealth creation in Ireland. My Department is already supporting efforts to address serious deficiencies in theories of quality consistency of supply, processing and marketing of timber from Irish grown hardwoods.
