Aontú , local election candidate for Claremorris, Paul Lawless has called on Minister Charlie McConalogue and Junior Minister for State Pippa Hackett in the Department of Agriculture to meet with the Craggagh Committee following a public meeting in Balla last week. 

Mr. Lawless says that for hundreds of years this country was asset stripped by colonists. It is despicable that this government is facilitating foreign vulture funds to asset strip the country again.  

Government grants and subsidies paid for by the taxpayer, he argues, are incentivising vulture funds and pension funds to purchase thousands of acres of Irish land and plant sitka spruce plantations. 

A French company proposes to complete phase 3 of a project which will see a total of 185 acres of  sitka spruce planted in Craggagh, an area between Balla and Kiltimagh.

He claims the planting will be within 50 meters of homes and in close proximity to Craggagh National School.

Mr Lawless is calling for better planning regulations to ensure community consultations, saying “communities like Craggagh should not be smothered in darkness. We need to see the end of foreign vulture funds competing for good quality farm land against local  farmers. Planting of native Irish broadleaf trees should be prioritized and farmers should be supported for doing it”. 

He has  written to Minister Charlie McConalogue and Junior Minister for State Pippa Hackett in the Department of Agriculture requesting an urgent meeting with the Craggagh Committee.”