Minister McConalogue calls for European policies to support forestry development
- Published on: 20 November 2023
- Last updated on: 4 January 2024
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, is today attending a meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels where discussion took place on the EU Forest Strategy, the EU Deforestation Regulation and the “For Forest Group” from Austria, Finland, Slovenia and Sweden.
Calling for policy coherence at European level Minister McConalogue declared:
“Member States' efforts to encourage the planting of trees, to meet a variety of different needs, should be supported. European policies must ensure that they support these objectives and facilitate sustainable forest development.”
Minister McConalogue highlighted the importance of ensuring the ongoing input of Member States experts in the formulation of forest policy at EU level.
The Minister noted that policies must support all aspects of sustainability declaring:
“The three dimensions of sustainability – environmental, economic and social, are equally important. This position is reflected in Ireland’s national Forest Strategy. We need a policy environment that supports the planting of the right tree in the right place for the right reason with the right management.”