The IFA is leading a demonstration outside the Convention Centre in Dublin today (Wednesday, July 14th, 2021) to highlight the crisis in the forest sector.
Farmers with forestry, led by IFA leader, Tim Cullinan, are taking action to highlight the need for emergency legislation to reform the licence system.
Cullinan stated that farmers are being denied the right to manage their forests.
“They planted their land with the legitimate expectation that they would be able to thin and realise an income during its rotation, but the delays mean that this is no longer a reality for many,” he said.
He stated that there are nearly 6,000 forest licences (afforestation, road and felling licences) caught up in the backlog.
“This is jeopardising the entire industry, from nurseries to sawmilling, with hundreds of jobs already lost. The increased volume of imported timber is placing the health of the forest estate at unnecessary risk.”
“Not to mention the economic burden on forest owners who cannot release the equity in their forests or who are watching the value of their timber crop decrease by over €10,000/ha if they cannot get a licence to thin.”
He said the current crisis is undermining confidence in forestry as a land-use option. He said this comes at a time when “we need more farmers to plant if we are to meet our climate objectives”.
Restoring farmer confidence in forestry
IFA farm forestry chairman, Vincent Nally, said forest owners are beyond frustrated with the system and the never-ending red tape that is preventing them from realising the value of their investment.
“We are here today to let the minister know that farmers have had enough.”
He stressed that the Minister must act now if there is any chance of restoring farmer confidence in forestry.
Nally said it is over five months since Minister Hackett announced Project Woodland.
“Although there has been a lot of work in the background, the time for talking is over. We need the minister to introduce emergency legislation to deal with the licence backlog once and for all.”
He pointed out that many farmers are waiting over two years for a licence. The Forestry Act says that a farmer should have to wait no longer than four months for a decision.
Forest sector
He believes that restoring farmers’ confidence in forestry, and supporting farm forestry once more, is “the only option” if Ireland is to achieve the ambitious annual afforestation targets set out in the 2019 Climate Action Plan of 8,000 ha.
Nally said the Government needs to introduce a system that:
- Actively supports farmers to plant and manage forests at farm scale;
- With a proportionate regulatory burden that reflects the size, the type of operation;
- That guarantees approval within an agreed timeframe.
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