Coillte, as a state company, is treated differently by state agencies and departments, including the Forestry Division when it comes to observing environmental standards.
That contributes to the detrimental environmental impact of much of our forestry which was recently highlighted by the EU Commission.
Following yesterday’s Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture meeting on Coillte’s forestry deal with a British investment fund, I debated the matter with Forestry Minister Pippa Hackett (Green Party) on Virgin Media’s ‘The Tonight Show.’
The Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Bill, as it stands, will not make it any clearer to farmers and consumers who is profiting most from the production and sale of essential food items.
Micheál Martin confirms that the Coillte scheme to facilitate the purchase of land across Ireland by British investment funds will not be affected by his proposed Government review.