Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021
3415. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the concerns of the forestry industry in relation to the European Commission Forestry Strategy and the failure to take into account the views of the European forestry sector during the formulation of the strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40463/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe European Commission published the new European Forest Strategy on 16th July 2021. The strategy was prepared as part of the European Green Deal as well as building on the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2030. The strategy covers the entire forest cycle as well as promoting the many services forests provides.
An EU wide public consultation on the strategy took place prior to its publication. This consultation happened in two phases. The first phase ‘the roadmap consultation’ lasted from 30 October 2020 until 4 December 2020. 308 replies were received to this stage of the process of which 8% came from company / business organisations. The next phase was an open public consultation that was conducted between 25 January 2021 and 19 April 2021. This consultation took the form of a survey published on the European Commission website published in all official European Union languages. In total 19,117 replies were received to the survey, 91% of which came from individual EU citizens, with 81 of these replies coming from Irish based respondents.
My Department is aware of the concerns expressed by Forest Industries Ireland (FII) in their formal written response to the EU Forest Strategy. This process is only beginning though at both EU and national level and it is important that all stakeholders continue to engage and engage early in order to help shape the process.
The new EU Forest Strategy will also feed into how we shape the new Irish Forestry Strategy currently being developed by Project Woodland. The Irish strategy will recognise the multi-functionality of forests as yielding social, economic and environmental benefits guided by an overarching commitment to Sustainable Forest Management. From engaging with Minister of State Pippa Hackett, who has overall responsibility for the sector, our Forest Strategy will be subject to full public and stakeholder consultation which is planned to commence this year and it is my hope that all stakeholders will participate in that consultation along with other stakeholders and the wider public to develop an ambitious new national Forest strategy for Ireland.
