Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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659. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his plans for the winding down of the state aid agreement for the forestry sector due to end on 31 December 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43019/20]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The current Forestry Programme has State Aid approval under the EU's State Aid Guidelines for the agriculture and forestry sectors (2014/C 204/01). These guidelines are currently under review and the revised version will largely depend on the final shape of the CAP post-2020 proposals and the CAP Strategic Plans in particular.

As part of the process to ensure that existing State aid schemes, including the Forestry Programme, that expire on 31/12/2020 can continue beyond this period, the Commission offered Member States the opportunity to extend existing schemes by 15 October 2020. My Department submitted its block notification to the Commission within the appropriate timeframe and included the measures under our Forestry Programme. We are waiting on a final decision on this application.

This extension is needed as otherwise we would have to cease all schemes under the National Forestry Programme at the end of this year. These schemes, including those which involve planting trees for example, are a key part of our national climate mitigation measures. This would be unfair to all stakeholders and farmers who are applying or who intend to apply for these schemes under the Programme.

In parallel with this extension, we will be commencing work soon on preparations for the next Forestry programme. I have established a Forestry Policy Group encompassing the main stakeholders from NGOs, farm bodies and the forestry sector to help inform the design of the next Programme amongst other activities. This Group met last week and will meet again shortly.

Both Minister of State Pippa Hackett and I continue to engage with representatives of the forestry sector on their concerns.