Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 8 February 2023

Select Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 30 - Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Revised)

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Some of it goes back but my point is that people were awaiting the new afforestation rates. Those rates are now in place. Only time will tell, but I expect there would have been a lower conversion rate last year because people were waiting on the new premiums to come in and there is every possibility there will be a higher conversion rate of licences to plantations once the new rates are in place. We are now very much on the front foot in terms of communicating to farmers that the new rates are there and we want people to afforest. In addition, we are working to get the new state aid approval in place for new licences to be processed.