Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-01-18-Speech-4-052"
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"en.20010118.3.4-052"2
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"Mr President, I should like to refer briefly to the importance of forestry from a rural development as well as a family-farm perspective. European agriculture will always remain critical to the well-being of European rural economies – indeed, it represents the main option for economic activity.
Nevertheless, production controls ensure that many farmers cannot increase their income from farming and, therefore, alternative income-generating opportunities from off-farm activities are vital if rural populations are to benefit from economic growth. We have seen the success of rural development programmes, including the LEADER scheme and other such activities which have helped create much needed employment in small and medium-sized enterprises in rural areas throughout Europe. However, the option to engage in forestry activity can also be a very constructive and environmentally friendly mechanism for farmers to increase their existing income.
In the Irish government's national development plan for 2000-2006, a total of IEP 580m is being provided for forestry activities. This would be cofunded under the common agricultural rural development programme. This latter investment will support a planting programme in Ireland of over 20 000 ha per year over the period of the plan. The focus will be for on-farm forestry, with grants, planting and maintenance, as well as income-support premium. In addition to CAP support and measures, an allocation of IEP 80m has been provided in the regional operational programme for investment in harvesting equipment, forest roads and general woodland improvements.
With regard to the EU operational programme for forestry and the generous funding available for afforestation, it is imperative that the end product of this investment is a quality, sustainable forest product, one capable of yielding over time a return both for the individual farmer and the community.
Because of the relative resilience of trees to survive, the necessary silvacultural practices could be neglected in the early years of establishment of new forests. This must be avoided if the European sector is to meet the challenge of quality and competitiveness in the future.
On a broader perspective, Parliament should be aware of the serious threat to the world's tropical forests, which are diminishing by 15 million hectares annually. Not sufficient research is being done on the growing of tropical hardwoods. In this regard, we should be aware of the work of the European Forest Institute and its encouragement and research into the planting of new tropical forests. If we are to address the need for sustainability, we must tackle these problems very early on."@en1
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