Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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928. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the estimated cost of extending the forestry scheme payment period from 15 to 30 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4920/20]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The estimated cost of introducing a 15 year extension to forestry premium payments would be €8m per 1,000 ha's. This assumes an average premium rate of €533 /ha across the various Grant Planting Categories (GPC). The final amount would obviously be influenced by the take-up of the individual GPCs.

The estimated cost of extending the premium under the current Forestry Programme 2014- 2020 from 15 to 30 years would have been €271 million.