I am aware of reports that deforestation may have been a contributory cause of the recent devastation in Central America. Ireland, as a member of the European Union, is a signatory to all the recent major forestry agreements and protocols including Strasbourg, Rio, Helsinki, Lisbon and Kyoto and fully supports the principles of sustainable forest management. These principles specifically concern widespread deforestation and ensure that forests are managed in an environmentally sensitive fashion. Ireland through the forest service of my Department was very active during the Irish Presidency of the EU on the international panel of forests promoting the aims of sustainable forest management.
Ireland is already involved at international level in relation to the position of tropical forests and on import substitution in the long-term. I recognise that the destruction of tropical forests is one of today's major environmental issues. Irish forest policy as set out in the strategic plan for the development of the forestry sector is committed to the implementation of a programme of sustainable forest management.
As regards the issue of certification I refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 123, 124 and 125 of 4 November 1998. The question of forest certification is market process between consumers and producers of forest products. Any such procedure introduced here will have to conform with Irish forestry laws, policies, national sustainable plans and codes of practice.
