Coillte

Tánaiste calls for a review of Coillte's plan to sell the lands to the British Trust

  

      

Tánaiste Micheál M    artin wants to explore "alternatives" rather than sell land to a UK investment fund to help meet Ireland's climate goals.

It has been revealed that thousands of acres of rural Ireland will be sold to the Gresham House Trust as part of an afforestation deal with quasi-government agency Coillte.

The plans have been met with backlash from rural TDs amid concerns that farmers might be priced out from buying the land.

Now the Fianna Fáil leader has called for a "revision" of the process, and said other models should be explored. Mr. Martin said: "I think there is scope to look at an alternative, another model as well, where the state owns the land. We have a lot of funding that we could use differently."