Minister Michael Healy-Rae has met with the Finnish Minister for Agriculture and Forestry and the Latvian Minister for Agriculture as part of St Patrick’s Day engagements, focusing on forestry management and increased use of homegrown timber.
Meetings with European Ministers
The Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is currently meeting with government and private sector representatives in Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Healy-Rae, who holds responsibility for forestry, stated that the global celebrations of St Patrick’s Day provide an opportunity for Ireland to foster long-term relationships with other countries.
“Forests in Ireland are young, relative to our continental neighbours, and this visit offers an excellent opportunity to gain insights on different approaches to forestry,” Healy-Rae said.
He has engaged in discussions with Finnish minister Sari Essayah and Latvian minister Armands Krauze, centering on sustainable forest management, timber innovation, and potential areas of cooperation during Ireland’s EU Presidency.
“Forestry is a significant and vital industry for Ireland, with nearly 9,500 people employed nationally and the sector contributing €2.3 billion to the economy. Through cooperation with our European partners, I believe that we can continue to build a forestry sector that keeps growing and develops into a significant part of Ireland’s national infrastructure,” he added.
Minister Healy-Rae’s itinerary also includes visits to non-profit organizations and companies within the timber industry, including those specializing in modular construction.
“We need to increase the use of timber in our construction sector and I am very pleased that, very soon, we will bring to Cabinet the final report of the Timber in Construction Steering Group, with recommendations for action to support the increased use of wood in construction, which will in turn support the house construction sector through the use of wood grown in Ireland,” he said.
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