Forestry owners are considering taking legal action over the continuing delays in the issuing of felling, thinning and planting licences by the Department of Agriculture.
Dublin-based legal firm said it has been contacted by a number of farmers and other forestry owners regarding the severe and ongoing licensing crisis.
While approximately 1,500 new licences have been issued for 2021, this equates to just 30pc of the Department’s target of 4,500 for the year.
Brian Burns of BKC Solicitors in Harold’s Cross, Dublin, said forestry owners were facing significant delays and additional costs because of the ongoing licensing problems within the Department.
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He pointed out that these applications were supposed to be processed in four months, but forestry owners were experiencing delays of 12 months to two years.
Mr Burns said he was currently in discussions with clients, but he envisaged that some would consider the legal route. “We will write to the Department of Agriculture seeking an explanation for the delay in processing licence applications,” Mr Burns said.
If the Department come back with a plausible explanation for the delay and offer a reasonable time frame for when the application will be processed, then no further action will be necessary, he said.
However, where no plausible explanation is provided for the delay in issuing a specific licence, BKC Solicitors will seek an order through the courts “compelling” the Department of Agriculture to make a decision on the licence application, Mr Burns added.
In addition to the delays in the issuing of licences, Mr Burns pointed out that farmers were facing increased costs and potentially losing out exceptionally high timber prices at the moment.
Forestry owners are currently being advised that some of the delays in the licence application process can be circumvented if they are willing to privately fund ecological reports. Mr Burns said this practice had resulted in increased costs for forestry owners.
