16 Nov 2020, 17:17
The Joint Committee on Agriculture and the Marine will meet tomorrow, Tuesday, when Coillte and the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will appear in two separate sessions, from 4pm.
Tuesday’s meetings in Committee Room 4, watch here, are the latest in a series which is focused on the challenges faced by the Forestry sector, and this will be the third time in less than six weeks that the committee will discuss these matters.
This will the first appearance by the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Pippa Hackett, since was appointed to the role, and similarly this will be the first appearance of Coillte before this committee during this Dáil term.
Ahead of the meeting, Chair Jackie Cahill, TD, said: “The challenges faced by the forestry sector have certainly been articulated in our recent committees by four key organisations; the IFA, Limerick and Tipperary Woodland Owners Ltd, Forest Industries Ireland and Woodlands of Ireland, and we look forward to investigating further on Tuesday the very serious delays in the issuing of licences for planting, tilling and felling of forestry and the failure to meet our targets for planting.
“Like every other organisation Coillte faces challenges during COVID Level 5, its forests are open, but of greater interest to the committee is the long term sustainability and supports required for the sector. The development of the forestry sector has certainly gained pace since the establishment of Coillte more than 30 years ago, as a sector it needs to build on this now as an essential part of our rural economy.
“Pre Covid it was suggested by Coillte that the industry had the potential to double in size over the next 10 years, so in light of recent events and the challenges faced as outlined by previous witnesses, we very much look forward to Tuesday’s update, and the input of the Minister of State.”
For more information about the work of the Committee on Agriculture and the Marine, see the Committee webpage
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