Liam Quaide TD, elected to represent Cork East, has slammed the illegal felling of around 30 acres of ancient woodland in Rathcool, North Cork, describing the destruction as “horrific.”
“This is just horrific,” Quaide said. “How did ancient woodland the size of ten Páirc Uí Chaoimhs, along with two kilometres of hedgerows, get destroyed before an investigation was even launched by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine? Did anyone sound the alarm while this was happening?”
The Department of Agriculture is investigating the alleged removal of trees and hedgerows, reported by the National Parks and Wildlife Service in mid-July. Officials described the incident as a “large-scale reclamation of private land” that involved merging smaller fields into larger plots. Site inspections have been completed, and a full inquiry is ongoing.
Quaide criticised what he called a “culture of near-total impunity” in Ireland regarding environmental offences. “We’re not going to get change on this by a government that has already shown contempt for biodiversity by cutting ring-fenced nature restoration funding from the National Development Plan,” he said.
He called for urgent action: “We need major strengthening of legislation on crimes against nature, a culture change in enforcement, serious consequences for offenders, and proper resourcing of the National Parks and Wildlife Service.”
“This loss is devastating,” he added. “It is a stark reminder of how fragile our natural heritage is, and how easily it can be destroyed when protections are weak.”
