‘3,000 jobs in forestry face chop’

AT least 3,000 forestry job are under threat, unless support measures to develop the sector are reinstated, a Fine Gael TD has claimed.

Deputy Jim O’Keeffe, Cork South West, said the chopping by the Government of the forestry programme was a bad mistake from economic and business view points.

“The reality is that the entire forestry programme has now come to a halt. There has been no planting approval since last June. All grants for roads and re-forestation have been suspended entirely since last spring.

“Yet, the recent Bacon report on the sector confirmed there is a cost benefit ratio in public expenditure on forestry, which completely outperforms Government investments on infrastructure and broadband projects,” he said.

Mr O’Keeffe said it is very much a case of penny wise and pound foolish, if the Government persists in its present anti-forestry policy.

Meanwhile, IFA president John Dillon urged the Government and the public to recognise the true value of forests when he addressed the IFA National Farm Forestry Conference in Ennis yesterday.

He said forestry had been one of the most successful rural development programmes seen to date, creating jobs and generating income for farmers in some of the more remote parts of the country.

Minister of State Noel Treacy said the Government is strongly committed to the development of the sector. Expenditure in forestry in the period 1997-2002, amounted to over €540 million.