Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development
Draft Forestry Bill
Ulster Angling Federation
SUBMISSION TO THE AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE ON THE NORTHERN IRELAND ASSEMBLY FORESTRY BILL
From: Jim Haughey
Sent: 06 November 2009 15:13
To: +Comm. Agriculture Public Email
Subject: Draft Forestry Bill
To;
The Clerk to the Assembly Agricultural Committee
Room 284
Stormont
Dear Sir,
We would comment on the Draft Forestry Bill as follows;
The Ulster Angling Federation is the representative body for game angling associations in Northern Ireland. We have a membership of some 60 associations with a total individual membership of some 7,000 anglers. The Federation represents anglers in discussions with Public Bodies, Government and other NGO’s and has been in existence since 1930. We are represented on a wide range of committees to ensure the concerns of anglers are heard.
The Pricewaterhouse Coopers Report of July 2007 for DCAL on the social and economic value of angling in NI, states that all forms of angling in NI support some 780 full time equivalent jobs, and are worth some £40m p.a. to the NI economy, mostly from game angling. If this jobs/economic benefit is to maintained and enhanced, the provision of good water quality is absolutely vital for our fisheries.
We fully support the comments made in the RSPB NI and Woodland Trust shared “Briefing paper for the Second Reading of the Forestry Bill; 15 September 2009” which is being sent to you under separate cover.
We would also make the following points;
- We have been advised that clear felling has caused problems of water pollution, and local flooding, and request that adequate provision be made in the Bill to afford some measure of control over clear felling to avoid these problems.
- We have also been advised that removal of stumps etc after clear felling has caused problems in that runoff after rain has caused silt to be deposited in local streams. As these are very often upland streams, they tend to be spawning areas for salmon and trout. Again, we request that adequate provision be made in the Bill to afford some measure of control over removal of stumps etc after clear felling to avoid these problems.
Yours faithfully,