Worst slump in decade threatens farm forestry sector

FARM forestry, promoted as a profitable alternative to livestock farming in poor quality land, is set for its worst slowdown in more than a decade.

Farmers who planned to plant forests in the 2002-03 season are now unlikely to achieve their objective. Instead, forestry contractors' machinery lies idle, and millions of young trees in nurseries may have to be destroyed, at a huge financial loss, because of Government cutbacks in forestry funding.

The issuing of approvals for planting was frozen at the end of October as part of the Government cut back on expenditure, putting the brakes on work at farm level.