Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (Senator Pippa Hackett):

I thank Deputy Kerrane for her question. The new forestry programme for the period 2023 to 2027 was launched in September 2023 following receipt of state aid approval from the European Commission. Since then, a total of 2,154 ha have been approved for planting under the new programme. This is in addition to 1,293 ha paid for and planted under the interim de minimisscheme in 2023, with this planting carried out in accordance with the new programme.

The new forestry programme aims to encourage a substantial increase in afforestation by offering attractive and diverse options for planting, especially for farmers. The Government has committed €1.3 billion to the programme in order to support our national ambition of 8,000 ha of afforestation per year. 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 and farmers of the benefits of forestry will be key to increasing afforestation rates in the years ahead. 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 campaign has been under way across all media. This 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.

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