Groups unite in bid to halt Coillte privatisation

A battle to keep Coillte in public ownership has stepped up a gear as a cross-section of interest groups called on the Government not to sell the asset.

The trade union Impact launched a report which said if the forests fell into private ownership generations of conservation would be undone.

“The proposal to dismantle Coillte, if executed, would unravel a century’s work. In many cases, our forests are now in their second and subsequent rotations. As this sequence advances, the structure and appearance of the forest is changing progressively,” it read.

The Save Our Forests report, by Impact’s Coillte branch, examined the benefits of the woodlands to society and the economy.

General secretary, Shay Cody, said the Government was in danger of rushing into a decision.

“This is happening without any formal consultation with stakeholders, including rural communities and the people who make 18 million visits to Coillte forests each year,” he said.

The report was released as separate groups came together to lobby for the retention of Coillte.

These included sporting, environmental and hunting organisations.

They included An Taisce, the National Association of Regional Game Councils, the Irish Wildlife Trust and Mountaineering Ireland.

The alliance said it was deeply concerned about the proposed sale of Coillte, which has been suggested as a means of reducing the country’s debt burden.

It said private operators would have a narrow focus on the potential profits available from the forests and not the wider benefit to the people.

“As a semi-state body, Coillte has put recreational amenities in place and has managed sensitive areas from a recreational and environmental perspective.

“The current proposal to sell the forest assets owned by Coillte presents a severe threat to the use of these forests by the people of Ireland and by visitors to the country,” a statement from the alliance of interest groups read.