The managing director of the Masonite plant in Leitrim says the current backlog in forestry licenses is costing jobs across rural Ireland right now.
Cormac Kearns was commenting in the wake of reports that companies such as Glennon Brothers in Longford are being directly affected by a lack of supply of logs, and have had to import timber from Scotland to keep operating.
The Masonite chief says while factories such as Glennon's and Masonite could ultimately face serious decisions on jobs, the fact is that many people in rural counties who are self-employed are already without employment.
Cormac Kearns says the industry has been highlighting this crisis without success for the past 18 months and very little has happened.
He says they're also facing another huge challenge with Brexit just around the corner.
