The TD Richard Boyd Barrett made the comments in the Dáil this week after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a report citing agriculture as the biggest contributor to carbon emissions in Ireland.

“I have been banging on in the Dáil for the past six years about forests and trees,” Boyd Barrett said.

“Our performance in afforestation is shockingly bad. It is one of the worst in Europe. We are missing all our targets.”

“Our level of forest cover is pathetically low. The Larry Goodmans of this world and the big ranchers are to blame because they want the land for their businesses, but we need to increase the level of our forest cover.”

While The Dealer has heard many farmers blame Mr Larry Goodman for quite a few things over the years, the assertion that he was to blame for a lack of forestry in Ireland came as a new one.