‘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.