Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 1 December 2021
231. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the estimated number of cubic metres of raw timber imported for processing in sawmills in the State in 2020 and 2021, respectively; the jurisdictions the timber is coming from; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59385/21]
View answerThe Pest Free Area (PFA) of South West of Scotland is the only zone from which coniferous roundwood with bark is imported into Ireland.
This is because UK Forest Commission have surveyed and continue to survey and found it to be free from Protected Zone (PZ) bark beetles. This roundwood must be accompanied by a Phytosanitary Certificate from the UK authorities with a declaration of pests freedom.
No other area of GB outside the PFA or Europe can deliver this pest freedom status, hence such coniferous roundwood logs with bark are not imported from these locations.
In 2020, some 125,000 tonnes of roundwood logs were imported into Ireland from this area. In 2021 to date this figure is 214,000 tonnes of roundwood logs.
To put this in context ,my Department issued licences for five million tonnes of timber in 2020. Using CSO statistics for timber processed in Ireland last year, which was four million m3, this means that only 3% of timber processed here last year was imported.
We are also on track to issue licences for almost eight million m3 this year so this proportion will reduce even further.
Furthermore, there has been a reduction of imports from Scotland in the last three months from its peak over the summer. This is thought to be due to greater stability on the Irish market owing to the greater number of felling licences issuing and the easing of timber demand globally.
To date 26th November, theDepartment has issued 2,552 tree felling licences for an area of 26,500ha and a volume of 7.612 million cubic metres. This compares very favourably to the same week ending in 2020, when my Department had issued 1,529 tree felling licences for 16,161ha and 4.424 million cubic metres. In other words, the number of forestry licences issued this year is 167% of that issued to the same date last year and 172% of the volume issued. However, it must be noted that last year was an exceptionally challenging year. It looks likely that 2021 will be a record year for felling licences in terms of volume of timber licenced.
Coillte is almost fully licensed for 2022 also. It had its contract recently (17th November), where sawmills received half of their Coillte supply of logs for 2022. As mentioned, the sawmills are also receiving a steady stream of logs from felling licences issued to private landowners, with 870 private felliing licences issued since 1st June 2021.
I wish to reiterate that both myself and Minister of State Pippa Hackett, who has overall responsibility for the sector, are committed to sustaining and building upon this momentum in terms of felling licences for the benefit of those forest owners and sawmills involved in the sector.
