Farmers and foresters have called on the Minister of State for Agriculture to tackle licensing delays in the timber industry.
The delays have led to slowed tree felling and planting, creating a timber shortage for housebuilding and sawmills.
Now the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) and Forest Industries Ireland (FII) are demanding Minister Pippa Hackett help to tackle the crisis after the department fell short of targets set last June.
IFA farm forestry chairman Vincent Nally said the licensing delays had “incensed” farmers. We need the Minister to act and reform the system so farmers can have confidence once again in forestry as a land use,” he said.
The groups argued that a new licensing regime rendered planting and managing forests on Irish farms too costly to be viable. They warned farmers needed confidence that the department would issue licences in a ‘timely manner.’
Director of FII Mark McCauley said the department’s poor administration forestry had contributed to a decline in the industry.
LSL News.