Danny Healy-Rae criticises forestry policy as timber costs soar
Danny Healy-Rae addressed delays in felling licences, rising timber prices and an overrun of wild animals. He blamed ministers for a backlog that has pushed up timber costs, hindered housebuilding and left farmers and landowners unable to harvest or replant commercial spruce.
Forestry licensing backlog and industry impact
He said ministers have effectively stalled the forestry industry by blocking felling licences and by refusing to allow commercial spruce to be cut or replanted. He warned the backlog has driven prices sharply higher—citing an example of ‘‘sticky timber’’ rising from about €20 to €38—and said the price rises are preventing people from building houses.
Spruce versus native trees and carbon
He argued spruce has a commercial role and cited figures on carbon sequestration, saying an acre of spruce sequesters about 13 tons of carbon while native species take longer and sequester less per acre. He stressed he is not opposed to native trees but maintained there must be room for commercial timber in policy and for landowners to fell and replant when appropriate.
Human consequences and permission problems
He recounted cases of people unable to access funds they expected from timber sales to pay for college or to adapt a house after immobility because they could not obtain felling licences or permission to build roads. He compared forestry to crops, saying planting must come with the expectation that the crop can be cut when it is ripe.
Wildlife control and public safety
He warned that deer have overrun roads and farmland, making roads unsafe and destroying crops and fencing, and called for action on deer control. He also urged control of foxes, describing the devastation when lambs are taken and the severe impact on sheep farmers. He cited a fatality near Killarney as part of his appeal for government action.
Parliamentary remarks on baby pain relief and faith
He said he concurred with Deputy Kenny from Galway about attempts to address pain relief for little babies and criticised some colleagues for not wanting to hear about those concerns or about God, saying many think they are ‘‘god themselves’’.
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Thank you very much. Ministers, I have to say to you that I hear you talking about planting native trees but you have the forestry industry finished. For a long time I thought it was department officials were lagging, more people thought that it was objectors were causing the delay in felling licences. But no, I honestly feel to the government and these ministers that have the whole thing finished completely. I honestly believe, Minister, and I always say what is in my head, I believe that he does not want to cut spruce or he does not want to replant spruce or he does not want to plant spruce anywhere. It is totally against their will and it is against the grain witty. And you see, I have been told, I am not against native trees but we need commercial timber as well. And we see that there is a backlog, the backlog is so much, we have gone so far behind now with felling licences that timber has increased. The timber has increased to an unacceptable level and it is preventing people from building houses. A sticky timber that was for many years was 20 euros at 6.3, that is now 38 euros. And it is the same with every other type of commercial timber, it is practically doubled in price. In price. And it is having a detrimental effect. But I honestly believe that he does not understand the value of spruce. We are told that spruce sequesters an acre of spruce sequesters 13 tons of carbon where native trees and they take much longer to grow. And like I said, I am not against them but we have to be real about this. And I am not against them. I am not against them, it is not against them, but we have to be real about it. So, often the fact that it is not only sequester 4 tons per acre for trade is not going to be real about this. Therefore, they do not work in the Royal Caribbean, nor the Royal Caribbean. I have to be real about this. So, we have mentioned that there was a difference between the Alarm and the Royal Empire. So, the Royal Caribbean was not under the Royal Caribbean. Theirbach has to be real about it. So, there was some kind of accountability. And we are still where we are as I said, thank you for all the clearance for the Royal Caribbean. So, we have not to be real about this. We are still where we were, as I said. And people have forgotten it. We can tell you for the Royal Caribbean. it and we have spoken so much about it and we're still where we were as I see it and people have walked away from planting trees because they see what's happening to the people that want to cut down trees and in some cases wanted the money for real things like sending children to college or to help do up a house for a man that got immobilized and he wanted to make his house put in another so that he could manage a wheelchair and he couldn't get any money because he couldn't or he doesn't have any money because he can't get a filling license and he can't neither can he get permission to to build a road and I have always said that when you plant a crop whether it is barley or oats or spuds or whatever it is there must be an ideology there that you're going to cut it down when it is ripe and that surely has to be the same way with with um with forest and and and and the the the the the cutting of uh cutting down the forest and they would replant them again but they can't replant them when they can get a failing license to cut them so then in relation to wild animals and I concur with uh deputy Kenny from Galway it it was sad to hear some of the some of the comments that was made about us wanting to um uh to do something about pain relief for little babies uh uh you know uh who are human beings and and creatures of god but not alone did they not want to hear about the the the the the little babies they don't want to hear about god either because many of them think that they are god themselves and they don't have to worry about nothing but that they'll come to like everybody else in relation to the wild animals I say to ministers we are completely overrun with deer and carry our roads are not safe I I used to the other morning after going to the trouble of getting his his driving test and buying a car and getting expensive insurance at a quarter past seven in the morning a deer ran out in front of me made flitters of his car that he was after giving a lot of money for and and he's he's finished now at this stage he can't go to work his car is out of action before he really got going at all and something has to be done about the deer ministers because they they they have outside of the country totally overrun the roads unsafe they have farmers eaten out of house and home they they putting out the the the the only thing now is there's no we're talking that there'll be no fertilizer next year it has been no good at all anywhere to put it out for many farmers because to the year the deer had the benefit of it then about foxes there needs to be some uh some control taken of the foxes as well because it is absolutely horrible and any we don't maybe many we don't realize what happens when when when a lamb is taken or when a couple is taken and the the devastation that that is for for for sheep farmers that that work hard and and have to traverse mountains and linds and valleys to see after these sheep and to think that maybe 30 or 40 sheep out of a flock finish up every year without any lamb because of foxes that's the gospel truth minister i don't know if you understand that but we're we're completely overrun and there needs to be some policy or so something uh some government action taken to deal with the deer and and the foxes and more so the deer because people are being hurt people have been killed a mother of three children killed coming into killarney within a half a mile of the center of the town that's the gospel truth we need to do something about real issues and and and and this is your time your ministers for for this time i don't know for how long but if you want to to prove your what you must do something about these issues
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