Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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1204. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 569 of 6 July 2021, if his Department can publish metrics (details supplied) for the REAP scheme in an effort to move towards a comprehensive evaluation process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52535/21]

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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1205. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 569 of 6 July 2021, if the monitoring and evaluation process report form referred to is complete; if such form or report contains metrics on afforestation by REAP applicants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52536/21]

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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1206. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 569 of 6 July 2021, if the effects of GLAS on afforestation levels was taken into account when his Department decided that any parcels in REAP may not be converted to forestry during the term of the contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52537/21]

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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1207. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 569 of 6 July 2021, if his attention has been drawn to the fact that farmer participation in afforestation dropped from 852 to 100 farmers during the term of GLAS; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52538/21]

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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1208. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the conditionality that any parcels in environmental schemes such as REAP and its successor may not be converted to forestry during the term of the contract is an EU requirement or a Government requirement; if this requirement can be ameliorated in new environment or eco schemes in the next CAP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52539/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1204 to 1208, inclusive, together.

The Department has commenced the monitoring and evaluation stage of REAP. This process will involve an analysis of field data, feedback from both participants and advisors and site-visits by the Department. The information collected will be used to inform the design and implementation of future agri-environment projects and schemes. The monitoring and evaluation aspect of REAP will run over the full term of the project. The details and findings from this process will be made available as part of the final project report.

Parcels selected for REAP may not be converted to forestry during the term of the contract. Nevertheless REAP is not a whole-farm project and opportunities continue to exist for afforestation and other Forestry Schemes on parcels which are not in REAP.

The Department actively promotes afforestation as a land use and the current Forestry Programme 2014-2020, extended to the end of 2022, consists of measures including Native Woodland Establishment, Agro-Forestry and Forestry for Fibre to encourage the planting of forests by landowners with a focus on afforestation of private lands. The Forestry Programme 2014 -2020 is 100% exchequer funded and represents State investment in the forestry sector of some €482m over its lifetime.

The draft regulation on the next Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) is currently being finalised and has still to be formally agreed. It is expected that commitments entered into as part of an agri-environment climate (AECM) measure shall be undertaken for the full contractual period in order to fulfil the contractual commitment. However, unlike the AECM, Eco schemes will operate on an annual basis, providing flexibility for farmers with regards to land use.

A county breakdown of currently active REAP contracts is attached.