A Tipperary TD is accusing the Department of Agriculture of treating the forestry sector with contempt.
Sinn Féin’s Martin Browne has called on Minister Charlie McConalogue and senior officials at the department to come before the Agriculture Committee once again following what he describes as a drought in forestry licensing over the summer months.
The Cashel TD says a promised increase in processing licences in August failed to materialise with fewer issued than in the previous month.
Speaking to Tipp FM News Deputy Browne said the way things are now will deter new people from entering the forestry sector.
“They will have seen people that got into forestry 10, 20, 30 years ago and should be reaping the harvest now being treated with pure distain in a lot of cases.”
“How do you persuade someone now that things will be different when it comes their turn if they go away and plant forestry now that in 10 years or 20 years time when they’re looking at their crop coming to fruition that they may be treated the exact same was as people are being treated now its going to be next to impossible to get people into it.”
