462. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the governance arrangements that are in place to ensure that persons who report alleged illegal forestry, and persons affected by such investigations, have access to the procedures governing the receipt, assessment, investigation and determination of Alleged Illegal Forestry (AIF) cases; whether the Alleged Illegal Forestry Section operates under published standard operating procedures, investigation procedures, protocols or other procedural guidance; if such procedures exist, where they may be accessed by the public; if they are not published, the reason for their non-publication. [66525/26]

The regulation of forestry is necessary in order to protect forests and to ensure that forestry operations and activities are carried out in compliance with the principles of sustainable forest management.? Forestry in Ireland operates within a legal and regulatory framework – the Forestry Act 2014 and the Forestry Regulations 2017 (SI No 191 of 2017). My Department uses the measures contained therein, as appropriate, in response to reports of alleged illegal forestry.

My Department's Alleged Illegal Forestry section works with the Forestry Inspectorate to act on reports of alleged illegal forestry activity. Typically, once reported, a Forestry Inspector investigates the conditions on-the-ground where necessary. Based on the report produced, my Department then decides on the most appropriate action to take, up to and including prosecution.

My Department does not provide updates on ongoing investigations of alleged illegal forestry, as doing so could compromise the integrity of the investigation process and any subsequent enforcement actions that may follow.

Information on alleged illegal forestry and how to report it can be found on my Department’s website here: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-agriculture-food-and-the-marine/publications/illegal-forestry/

Alleged Illegal Forestry can be contacted at: aif@agriculture.gov.ie