Coillte to sell 1,109-acre forest in Co Donegal by public tender

Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney has confirmed Coillte is selling forestry land in Co Donegal by public tender, but the transaction is at the discretion of the company.

As such, this public tender offer is separate from the Government decision that a concession for the harvesting rights to Coillte’s forests (which excludes the sale of land) be put forward as part of the sale of state assets. The sale of 1,109 acres has been condemned by farmers and public representatives.

If successful, it would be Coillte’s biggest sale in at least eight years. Each year since 2003, between 800 and 1,460 acres were sold nationwide, for diverse uses including housing, commercial developments, and windfarms. The annual value of land sales varied from €8.96m to €38.67m.