Danny Healy-Rae warns forestry crisis could cost 1,200 jobs
Danny Healy-Rae addressed the Dáil on the forestry and felling-licence appeals backlog, warning the appeals process has brought forestry to a standstill and risks widespread job losses and economic damage. He urged the minister not to rush the bill and to take into account the amendments put forward by him and colleagues.
Main concern
He described a surge of third-party appeals - in some cases from people "as far away as 200 miles" with no connection to the forestry or the felling licence being appealed - which has halted harvesting, hauling and planting activity.
Economic and employment impact
He said the standstill risks the loss of around 1,200 jobs and estimated the effect on the economy at over 2 billion. He cited local traffic patterns in Kilgarven and said forestry transport previously created income for communities.
Origins of the plantations
He defended earlier planting schemes, noting farmers and co-operatives planted marginal land with state grants, creating income for landowners and the state and leading to replanting of those grounds.
Local communities and industry at risk
He warned that sawmills, hauliers and other forestry businesses in named localities will be closed down if the current situation continues, and that legally operating timber lorries could be stopped from delivering to sawmills.
Appeal to the minister and criticism of interference
He called the government bill "feeble" and "horrid" and urged the minister to accept the proposed amendments and not to rush the legislation. He also criticised deputies from Dublin for "interfering and meddling" in matters he said they did not understand.
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I'm glad to get the chance to talk about this very important topic here this evening because I know all a full well what has gone on for the last two years is the total height of regarding I've raised this issue several times in the order of business or any chance that I could get over the last two years because I could see this coming and we're very near now that the Samuels and Clover grows, the hauliers will stop and the harvesters and the forwarders will have nothing to do and the planters will have no ground to planter. This is the total height of regarding people appealing from as far away as 200 miles and no connection at all to the forestry or the felling licence that they're appealing against. Do you see what happened here in the first place? Farmers and Quilte planted marginal land and they got grants to plant them by the government of the DA which was proper and right, marginal ground and it was fit for nothing else. And they had an effect of creating income for the state and for the landowners and the grounds were replanted again. But the whole thing is in the standstill now with the last two years and it's coming to head. 1,200 jobs will be lost. The effect of that was over 2 billion on the economy and I have to say when I'm in Kilgarven, the only lorries that come up the village going eastwards, all the other lorries are going westwards bringing in products that's costing the people money. But this was creating income. The forestry lorries and the fish lorries we were talking about in the fisheries last night and the farmers through cattle that go from Kinmear and Matt eastwards as well. If we are not, if we aren't very careful, we'll lose this industry because farmers will have to decide when they're planting land again, will I be able to fell it? Will I be able to cut it down? And then they have to put up with all the other nuisances, the deer, the badgers and the foxes that are coming out of these forestries and there they are now they can't cut them down and realize the income that they're rightly entitled to. And you have places like Klandrood and Inishkeen, Palfab and Granges and Klan Mel and Medite and Klan Mel, all these places will be closed down. All the grand lorries that we see that are legally on the road taking the timber to the sawmills, they will be all stopped. And I'm appealing to minister, don't rush this bill, take into account our amendments, because your bill is feeble enough and it's horrid enough, but we must be sure that it's proper to deal with the brigadier that's going on. And I'm very hot and annoyed when I hear Dublin deputies here interfering and meddling in something that they know nothing at all about. Deputy, please. And I'm appealing to minister, take into account the amendments that we put before it. Deputy, please, please, please. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
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