Castlebar councillors give full backing to opposition of Craggagh forestry

CASTLEBAR-based councillors have called for local Oireachtas members to lobby for a change of legislation to prevent the afforestation of areas close to people's homes.

Members of the Castlebar Municipal District gave their unanimous backing to the people of Craggagh near Balla who are opposed to plans for a French company Woodland Invest to plant 15 hectares of additional forestry close to homes and amenities.

Members of the Craggagh community were present at the monthly meeting of the Castlebar Municipal District where councillors agreed that the council will write a letter to the Department of Agriculture opposing the granting of a licence for the additional forestation.

The meeting heard that Mayo County Council has no role in the issuing of licences for forestation and the Department of Agriculture has the final say.

While welcoming the delegation to the meeting, members of the Craggagh community were told that changes need to be made at national level to make it more difficult to plant trees close to communities.

“The answers you are looking for are in the Houses of the Oireachtas and unless the legislation is changed what you are talking about will continue,” said Fianna Fáil councillor Martin McLoughlin.

He added that it is wrong that companies with 'deep pockets' are now buying agricultural land for planting trees and if this is allowed to continue it will affect rural communities.

“They are not planting on marginal land or on the hillside as they once did, they are planting on agricultural and arable land. Where land comes for sale they will come with deep pockets and buy a holding of land with farmers all around. There are loads of examples of land where silage was cut last year and planted this year and that is not right,” he said.

Other councillors spoke of how the sitka spruce tree which is proposed for the Craggagh forestry is an invasive species which is regarded as a pollutant to waterways and adds no value to the area where it is planted.

Cathaoirleach of the Municipal District, Cllr Al McDonnell said the application 'should be opposed by whatever diplomatic means we have' and asked the council executive to 'draft suitable resolutions for the relevant authorities to voice our opposition'.

Fine Gael councillor Cyril Burke said that it is very unfair that Woodland Invest should ‘push their way in on the community' while his party colleague Ger Deere said what happens in Craggagh could be a ‘be a real test case for the future of rural Ireland’.

Independent councillor Michael Kilcoyne said that the civil servants in the Department of Agriculture do not give a damn about the people of Craggagh.

“Writing a letter to the Department or to the planning office of these places is like writing a letter to Santa Claus but at least you'd get a reply from Santa, you will not get any meaningful reply from the department. You will get about five pages of waffle. We support you but what you need is the law to change,” he suggested.

Gerry Conroy of the Save Craggagh Group thanked the councillors for their support and it gave them some heart that they were not being ignored.

“I could stay all day talking but we are happy to see a letter and a response from the planning department of Mayo County Council opposing the project which will be a major boost for us. This is encouraging and we move forward to see where it takes us,” he said.