IFA Farm Forestry Chairman, Pat Hennessy said that the Government’s plan to cut the afforestation capital budget by €20 million, as announced in the Capital Investment Priorities 2011–2016, would signal the end of a viable afforestation programme.

He said - “Once outstanding commitments had been honoured, the reduced budget would fund an afforestation programme of less than 2,000 hectares per annum. This is in total contradiction to the Renewed Programme for Government that committed to an afforestation programme of 10,000 hectares per annum.

"An afforestation programme of that scale is not sustainable. The knock-on effects would be devastating for employment, the sustainable supply of timber to the processing and wood energy sectors as well as our climate change commitments.

“The decision to cut capital spending on afforestation is inconsistent with Government policies that wants to develop a forest sector similar to our European counterparts - both in terms of percentage of forest cover and the need to build up an indigenous industry with a plentiful supply of raw material,” concluded Mr. Hennessy.