Leitrim IFA members, backed by farmers from neighbouring counties, protested outside the head office of the Western Forestry Co-op in Sligo on Friday.

The protest followed similar action at the site of an afforestation managed by the company in Co Leitrim last Saturday.

Resolution

IFA Leitrim chair James Gallagher told the Irish Farmers Journal that the campaign continued as a result of the resolution by the association's national council to oppose any new plantations until a socio-economic study of the impact of forestry in the country was completed.

This will be gone if we lose more farmland

"We are already carbon neutral as a county, others will have to step up to the plate," he said.

"We have five marts in Co Leitrim. This will be gone if we lose more farmland."

He added that the 25-year cycle of forestry would not provide replacement jobs for the time being and these points were made to representatives of the forestry development company.

'Confused'

Chief executive of the Western Forestry Co-op Marina Conway said she was "confused" after protesters targeted her organisation.

"We are farmers working for farmers," she told the Irish Farmers Journal, explaining that western dairy and mart co-ops had set up the company in 1985 to help farmers plant some of their own land rather than sell it to forestry investors.

She added that the site of Saturday's protest was owned by a farmer planting his marginal land.

She supported the IFA's request for a socio-economic study of afforestation in Co Leitrim and suggested protesters oppose plantations planned by outside investors.

"They shouldn't be pitting farmer against farmer," Conway said.

"The whole point of who we are is to retain money in the local community. All the negativity risks encouraging more farmers to sell their land rather than plant it themselves," she added.