Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 January 2015
284. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will ensure that the forest management protocol for the hen harrier special protection areas will be reinstated while the hen harrier threat response plan is being redeveloped; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1070/15]
View answerThe Threat Response Plan (TRP) is examining the impacts of various activities including forest development, agricultural intensification and wind farm development on the conservation of Hen Harrier, which is one of Ireland's rarest species of bird, and which is protected at a European level under the EU Birds Directive. I understand that the TRP will set out necessary measures for implementation within each of the three sectors, to protect and conserve Hen Harrier, and in doing so, will bring clarity to farmers and other landowners about future land management activities within the SPAs. In relation to forestry, it is envisaged that the TRP will determine, inter alia, the circumstances in which afforestation might be accommodated in Hen Harrier SPAs without impacting on the conservation of the species. Until then, my Department is not in a position to grant approval for any afforestation projects in those areas until, as part of the TRP, an integrated series of measures across all three land uses has been identified to protect the species. The Department therefore does not intend to reinstate the forest management protocol for the Hen Harrier Special Protection Areas.
