Written answers

Wednesday, 18 October 2017

Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Afforestation Programme

Photo of Jackie CahillJackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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166. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans to remove the 20% rule on planting unenclosed land and replace it with a system that assesses productivity and environmental suitability for forestry; the evidence used to calculate the 20% figure; and if other European countries have such a rule. [44126/17]

Photo of Michael CreedMichael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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In 2010, a change was made in Ireland’s scheme rules that limited the amount of unenclosed land in any one afforestation application to 20%. Unenclosed land is usually found in upland areas and is generally less fertile than enclosed or improved land found at lower elevations.  There is compelling evidence surrounding the difference in productivity of tree species planted on unenclosed and enclosed land.  This measure became known as ‘the 20% rule’. The 20% rule had an effect on increasing the average production potential of sites being put forward for afforestation, as it stipulates that each site required 80% enclosed and improved land. It also acted as a means of reducing the amount of environmentally sensitive land being submitted, as much of the poorer land is environmentally sensitive.

To better inform the discussion on these issues, the Department produced two documents, the first related to productivity assessment informed by Teagasc research and the second related to environmental sensitivities following a consultation process. 

The new Land Types for Afforestation document was launched in March 2016 and introduced a new approach to land classification for bare land. It is based on scientific work centred on the scoring of vegetation from a productivity perspective.  The use of ground vegetation to assess the suitability of land is a long established method of assessing the suitability of sites for afforestation and as an aid to tree species selection.  A range of indicator values has been derived for plants found in the UK and Ireland.  There is a strong relationship between the combined R (Reaction) and N (Nitrogen) value and site productivity.  Using this new system to evaluate site productivity, plants are given combined R+N values and are then weighted by their occurrence to get an overall plot average. Higher values are associated with more fertile sites. This new approach to classifying bare land for planting and the new Environmental Requirements launched in December 2016 are now being implemented.

Given that we are now successfully implementing the two documents referred to above, we now intend lifting the 20% rule. My Department is now engaging with the European Commission with the aim of removing the 20% rule and has met with DG ENVIRON and DG AGRI in December 2016. A final position has yet to be reached by the Commission and a further meeting with the Commission is scheduled for November 2017.

While I am not aware of all the rules of all Member States, each Member State that grant aids afforestation must apply minimum environmental requirements as set out in REGULATION (EU) No 1305/2013 on support for rural development and in the EU’s Guidelines for State aid in the agricultural and forestry sectors and in rural areas.

Photo of Jackie CahillJackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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167. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers and non-farmers participating in planting schemes under the forest programme 2014 to 2020. [44127/17]

Photo of Michael CreedMichael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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My Department publishes annual afforestation statistics which are available on its website.  Those statistics include numbers of farmers and non-farmers who participate in afforestation each year.  Those numbers are set out in the following table, for 2014 to 2016, which are the most recent available figures.

It should be noted that the non-farmer category is primarily made up of recently retired farmers or the family members of the landowner in question. On that basis I am satisfied that the vast bulk of the investment under the programme is delivered to, and remains in, rural Ireland.

Year FarmerNon-Farmer
201495049
2015852130
2016652357

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