Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 11 July 2024

Public Accounts Committee

2022 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine

9:30 am

Mr. Brendan Gleeson:

No. I would imagine, and Mr. Savage can confirm this, that there were about 2,200 to 2,500 ha planted that year. That provision is made up of two elements. There are grants for planting that offset the costs of planting for applicants and there are premiums. At that time if a person applied and planted trees, they got a premium for 15 years. The bulk of the expenditure on that heading is for the premiums and a smaller amount is for planting. We have now extended that premium, for farmers only, to 20 years. We have a new forestry programme and have dramatically increased the rates of the premium by between 40% and 60%. We have a more attractive programme but it is in its infancy.

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