Licence backlog figure rises to 4,700 as timber shortages loom in 2021

ANOTHER warning has been issued this week about the implications for the Irish timber industry unless the licence backlog for the felling of trees is resolved immediately.

One of the biggest employers in the North-East Galway region – Murray Sawmills in Ballygar – has described the current situation for timber as critical due to the doubt over supplies.

John Ryan, Purchasing Manager with Murrays, told the Farming Tribune that the problems with the supply and licensing system had been flagged for the past 18 months to two years, but still the issue hadn’t been resolved.

“In our situation we are looking at hundreds of jobs both directly and indirectly being impacted upon, while nationally the situation is getting more serious with each passing week.

“It is getting to the criticial stage in terms of the supply of a vital raw material for the national economy. We’re now in a situation where we cannot plan ahead because of the doubt over supplies – this situation cannot continue,” said John Ryan.

Last week, in a further clarification on the forest backlog licence situation, Minister of State, Pippa Hackett, confirmed that there were now ‘approximately 4,700 forest licence applications in the system’.

She said that of those, approximately 2,000 had been referred to ecologists with ‘the files being dealt with using a dedicated project plan’.

According to Minister Hackett, the remaining 2,700 licences were not subject to the delays currently being experienced adding that so far this year, the Dept. of Agriculture had issued 2,300 new licences.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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