Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development
Draft Forestry Bill
Alfie Danton
SUBMISSION TO THE AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE ON THE NORTHERN IRELAND ASSEMBLY FORESTRY BILL
From: Alfie Danton
Sent: 26 October 2009 17:56
To: +Comm. Agriculture Public Email
Subject: draft forestry bill
I write concerning the above. I am a farmer who all my life has had an interest in forestry and have planted aprox 25 acres on my own land and I have aprox 475 acres in Scotland planted 8/9 years ago . I am concerned that the present Bill as it stands gives an unlevel playing field in favour of state forestry as opposed to private forestry. I would suggest that all recreational woodlands and native species mix forests should be the responsibility of state forests leaving private forests to be established on a purely commercial basis. Even with the present financial incentives which are not all attractive any further disinsentives will reduce private planting even more.