Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Importers in Ireland are already prohibited from importing roundwood from areas known to be affected by quarantine bark beetle species. The only area internationally where imports into Ireland of coniferous roundwood with bark is permitted is from a specific UK Government authority assigned ‘Pest Free Area’ (PFA) in the West of Scotland.

My officials engage closely with their Scottish counterparts on this matter. The Scottish Authorities provide support and evidence of this pest free status through on-going surveillance and maintenance activities and using internationally agreed and accepted procedures.

My Department continues to monitor the threat of the bark beetle proactively and extremely closely. 100% of the consignments that come into Irish ports from the Scottish Pest Free Area are checked, prior to export by the Scottish Authorities and at the port of entry by my officials.

To further protect our forests, my Department has also negotiated an agreement with the Scottish authorities to increase the area within the Pest Free Zone from which imports to Ireland are no longer taking place.

Logs originating in the PFA enter Ireland under the control of Revenue pending inspection by my Department. The accompanying documents are examined and the commodity is inspected for the presence of regulated harmful organisms. Following the inspection and absence of regulated harmful organisms the consignment is released.

My Department will continue to engage with Scottish counterparts on an ongoing basis as the situation in the Pest Free Area (PFA) evolves in the months and years ahead. Following the recent changes in the Scottish Pest Free Area (PFA) however, and the ongoing checks in Scotland and at the point of entry in Ireland, I have no plans to suspend the trade of logs from the Pest Free Area (PFA) of Scotland into Ireland.

Ireland is a member of the World Trade Organisation and operates under the WTO SPS (Sanitary and PhytoSanitary) Agreement which sets-out the framework within which those who follow the WTO-SPS rules can operate. The establishment, operation and maintenance of the Scottish PFA is done through WTO-SPS rules and procedures, and as a member, Ireland is bound by these rules and procedures and will not take unilateral action to ban trade when operated in these circumstances.

Ireland is also an exporter of Coniferous roundwood, in particular to the UK, and as a trading nation, is bound by the EU and international trade and plant health law. This limits the scope of a country to take unilateral actions to restrict trade, such as a ban on imports of timber from the Scottish Pest Free Area, as this would contravene that agreed EU and international trade and plant health law.

Under my Department’s Plant Health and Biosecurity Strategy 2020-2025 my Department committed to the establishment of a Plant Health Stakeholders’ Group. My officials recently hosted a very successful first meeting of the bark beetle stakeholder sub-group at which my officials took the opportunity to present the up to date position on a range of bark-beetles and associated measures being implemented. Further meetings will be organised.

It is imperative that all stakeholders remain vigilant and involved in relation to plant health in all its aspects, as it is a dynamic environment influenced by issues such as climate change, trade and the changing nature of trade.

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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81. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the area of land where forestry was planted last year; the amount expected to be planted this year; if there are specific measures in place to increase the area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18353/24]

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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93. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the level of new afforestation in the years 2020 to 2023 and to date in 2024; and his target afforestation for the remainder of 2024. [17715/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 81 and 93 together.

It is the case that there has been a decline in afforestation in recent years. In 2020 2,434 hectares of land were afforested, with 2,061 hectares in 2021, 2,273 hectares in 2022 and 1,651 hectares in 2023.

The Afforestation target for 2024 is 8,000 hectares, and to date this year my Department has received notification of intention to plant over 1,300 hectares. Furthermore there are nearly 3,000 hectares already approved and available for planting immediately under the new Programme. Some 300 hectares have been planted and paid for to date in 2024, with applications for payment being submitted and paid on a weekly basis.

The new Forestry Programme aims to reverse the decline in planting by offering attractive and diverse options for planting, especially for farmers. This government has committed €1.3 billion to the Programme, which is the best-funded and most environmentally friendly programme to date.

The new Afforestation Scheme offers landowners a choice of 12 Forest Types which cover a broad range of planting options including Native Woodland, Continuous Cover Forestry and Emergent Forests. It provides generous incentives to farmers in particular, to re-engage with forestry. These include increases in premium rates ranging from between 46% to 66%, along with a longer premium term of 20 years for farmers, compared to 15 years for non-farmers, across most Forest Types.

Afforestation is a voluntary land use choice for landowners and building confidence among landowners of the benefits of forestry will be key to increasing afforestation rates on recent low trends. In order to encourage uptake we have engaged in extensive promotion of the forestry options available including funding 42 stakeholder projects. These projects will promote the Forestry Programme through a wide variety of approaches and will engage with the wider community to highlight the benefits of forests as a source of biodiversity, enjoyment and inspiration.

A targeted media campaign has been underway across all media and will continue throughout 2024. In addition, more than 1,000 people attended 20 Teagasc-led in-person meetings for the public on the new afforestation scheme throughout the country and Teagasc will continue to promote forestry.

My Department has the capacity to issue sufficient licences to meet the annual target of 8,000 hectares and we have put additional resources in place to do so. I recognise that planting at this scale is a challenge but believe that it is in all our interests to work towards this target. It will require a concerted and united effort from all those interested in forestry across communities, public bodies, the forestry sector and farmers to make this a reality.