A local TD has said that new forestry stats highlight the Government’s continued failure to delivery on forestry.
Deputy Claire Kerrane said a report, published this week by the Department for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, shows that the key forestry metrics remain at some of the lowest levels of the past decade.
“For example, there was just 2,273ha of afforestation in 2022. This is compared with 6,652ha of afforestation in 2022,” said the Sinn Féin TD.
“There is an annual target of 8,000ha of afforestation, yet we are looking at a combined total of 6,723 for the past three years.”
Deputy Kerrane said as well as this, the report starkly highlights the lack of confidence in the sector from farmers and foresters and the impact this has had on buy-in in recent years.
“For example, in 2017 there was 536 farmers involved in afforestation in the State. This number has dropped to just 76 as of 2022.
“The statistics published today make clear that this Government has mismanaged forestry. We desperately need the new Forestry Programme in place, and yet it remains nowhere to be seen.”
Deputy Kerrane said farmers and foresters need certainty, and called on Minister Hackett to provide an update on the new Forestry Programme in full.
