Forestry Sector

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 October 2022

Wednesday, 26 October 2022

Ceisteanna (205)

Marian Harkin

Ceist:

205. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 2116 of 8 September 2022, when he will be informing the Director-General of the Environment of the European Commission of the error in his Department's letter dated 24 November 2021, and specifically informing the Director-General of the Environment of the European Commission that 232,000 hectares, and not 136,000 hectares as previously advised by his Department to DG ENV, of the Coillte estate is on peatland soils, that is, 53% of the Coillte estate. [53891/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

As the Deputy may already be aware, under their new forestry strategic vision, Coillte aims to grow 100,000 hectares of new forests by 2050 but are also committing to managing its existing forest estate to capture an additional 10 million tonnes of CO2 by 2050, including through the redesigning of poorly productive peatlands.

My Department's letter to DG Environment, dated 24 November 2021 stated that one third of Coillte’s entire estate (c.136,000ha) is on peatland soils. The letter clarified that this figure refers to the portion of the Coillte estate along the western seaboard and does not relate to the entire Coillte estate nationally. The figures quoted are based on information provided by Coillte in their work on the Wild Western Peatlands Project.

My Department does not consider that a clarification to DG Environment is required.