Opposition asks Government to put a halt on Coillte deal

Many are in uproar as thousands of acres of rural Ireland are expected to be sold to a British investment fund as part of an afforestation deal with Coillte

Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue and Minister of State Pippa Hackett will meet with Coillte management to address the issue. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

The Government has been told by opposition TDs to instruct Coillte to stop its “scandalous” joint partnership with a British investment fund.

Thousands of acres of rural Ireland are expected to be sold to Gresham House as part of an afforestation deal with semi-state body Coillte.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he was aware of the concern "up and down the country" adding he has heard what farmers and the Irish Wildlife Trust have had to say.

I confirm it was not signed off by Cabinet. Coillte is a State-owned enterprise and its board makes its own decisions and there was no memo for information to Cabinet at any point.

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Agriculture, Matt Carthy TD said that the Government must ensure that state funds are not used to facilitate the proposed ‘land-grab’.

He pointed out the Programme for Government sets out an annual target of 8,000 hectares of new afforestation.

But he said the Government has overseen the near entire collapse of Irish forestry and claimed “We are now planting less forestry than we were during the second world war,” Mr Carthy told the Dáil.

Independent TD Denis Naughten said a full debate is needed on the provisions of the arrangement, but also called for an agreement to be sought and gained on it from the Oireachtas as a whole before it is progressed any further, because it is something that causes huge concern to every single citizen across this State, he told the Dáil.

Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitemore said under the plan, Coillte will do all the heavy lifting by sourcing tens of thousands of acres in rural Ireland, planting trees and managing the forests, but private international investors will reap the rewards.

Given the Taoiseach’s admission in the Dáil today that this deal was not signed off on by Cabinet, the question must be asked: why is the Government facilitating what amounts to a land grab, and what will it do to pull the plug on this partnership?

Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue and Minister of State Pippa Hackett will meet with Coillte management today.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly informed Cabinet colleagues that the number of patients on trolleys remains too high.

While pressures from Covid, flu and RSV are receding, it is expected that significant levels of patients presenting to emergency departments will continue, particularly for the older age cohorts, he told Ministers.

Mr Donnelly also has asked his Department and the HSE to begin planning now for next winter, including a review of this winter and to ensure early sanction of additional capacity agreed.