Eamon Scanlon
Question:491. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on concerns raised by an organisation (details supplied). [53369/18]
View answerTuesday, 18 December 2018
Questions (491)
Written answers
I am aware of the concerns expressed about planting in Co. Leitrim. However I must reiterate that our national forestry targets are for the Country as a whole and there are no county or regional targets within the programme.
The Forestry Programme, which offers 12 grant and planting categories (GPCs), is a voluntary scheme for all landowners and it is a matter for them as to whether they wish to choose forestry as a land use option and avail of the grants and premiums available to support them in that enterprise.
In Leitrim, some 380 farmers have made this choice by converting parts of their farms to forestry resulting in forestry payments to them worth over €2.3m from my Department in 2017. In addition timber sales in the country were valued at €1.2m in 2017 and some 565 people are employed in the forestry sector in County Leitrim making a valuable contribution to the local economy. Furthermore, the recently completed National Forest Inventory recorded that 30% of all forests in Leitrim are broadleaves.
I would like to point out that forestry is highly regulated and my Department takes account of a number of factors including local concerns, environmental guidelines and site conditions prior to approving afforestation applications. Proposals to plant trees are subject to rigorous checks and undergo careful planning by professional foresters which must comply with the Department's requirements as set out in the Forestry Standards Manual, Scheme Documents, Code of Best Practice – Ireland and a suite of environmental guidelines including the Environmental Requirements for Afforestation and the Land Types for Afforestation. There are also a number of statutory consultees who are consulted on individual applications where relevant and these include the Environmental Protection Agency, NPWS and Inland Fisheries Ireland amongst others. I am satisfied that this planning process is fit for purpose and that it ensures that the establishment of new forests in Ireland is compatible with the protection and enhancement of our environment, particularly in relation to water, biodiversity, archaeology, soil type and the landscape.