Some farmers have been waiting in excess of 12 months for forestry licences, particularly for felling, according to IFA forestry chair Vincent Nally.

Nally called on the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Andrew Doyle to address the logjam as it was having a serious impact on farmers’ ability to manage their forests.

“Farmers are exasperated with the lack of progress and with the increasing costs associated with getting a licence. The situation is a mess.”

Standard

An interim standard for felling and reforestation had further complicated the situation, Nally said.

“The standards, which were published without consultation with stakeholders, lack an understanding of the practicalities of managing harvesting operations in small farm forests.

The costs keep mounting

“They place a disproportionate level of responsibility on farmers and will mean that some forests will not be harvested in the future.”

Farmers were being charged in excess of €500 by consultants and companies to apply for felling licences since the standard was introduced, Nally said.

“The costs keep mounting, with more and more farmers required to complete a Natura Impact Statement or an ecologist or archaeologist report to get a licence.”

Red tape

Nally warned the minister that without reduced red tape, the planting target of 8,000ha per year would not be achieved.

“If the Government is serious about climate action targets, they must ensure that the system is farmer-friendly and that the Department has sufficient resources to make decisions on licences without constantly requiring external professional expertise and piling costs on farmers,” Nally concluded.

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