Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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757. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the overhead and margin percentage used by the forest service of his Department in the afforestation grant rates for the next forestry programme, as recently published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58728/22]

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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760. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the proposed grant rates in the next forestry programme will cover 100% of the costs involved in preparing and developing afforestation sites; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58738/22]

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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762. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will detail the mechanism and calculations, per forest type, by which the forest service of his Department calculated the afforestation grant rates as recently published for the next forestry programme, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58740/22]

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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773. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will confirm the principle of the afforestation grant rate providing for all costs associated with afforestation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58834/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 757, 760, 762 and 773 together.

The Deputies will be aware that my Department has secured funding of €1,318billion for the Forestry programme 2023-2027. This will support the biggest and best-funded Forestry Programme ever in Ireland and provides unprecedented incentives to encourage the planting of trees that can provide a valuable addition to farm income and help to meet national climate and biodiversity objectives.

My Department has published proposed grant rates for each of the forest types which reflect the overall direct costs of establishing a range of different types of forests. These rates have been agreed with DPER and are still subject to state aid approval. The proposed rates agreed with DPER are listed below.

Native Tree Area Scheme will be paid at FT1 and FT2 rates. Premiums will be paid over 10 years rather than 20 at a rate of €2,206 per ha annually for NTA1 and €2,284 per ha annually for NTA2.

* Additional payment of €1,000 per ha will be paid to landowner on completion of planting

** Grant includes Trails, Seats & Signage Facilities and Derelict Site payment

*** Grant includes Facilities payment

My Department was mindful of cost-of-living pressures in determining both grant and premium levels whilst working within the parameters and framework of the public expenditure code. In setting rates my Departments decisions were underpinned by the COFORD report, “Economic Activity and Employment levels in the Irish forest Sector”. The setting of the grant rates considered the various operations, labour, costs and overheads involved in the establishment of forests

The proposed Department grant rates, subject to state aid approval, do not include fencing grants or the Environmental report grant. Both payments, which will be published imminently, are additional to the basic grant rate and provide an attractive and realistic funding for forestry establishment.

The calculations of costings have regard to the COFORD report and direct costs of operations along with overheads averaging over 40%. Costs are indicative and may vary between operations and will depend on a variety of factors such as economies of scale, rates charged by different contractors, Foresters and companies. Some operations may incur difference direct costs that may be lower or higher depending on site and location.

Together with additional funding for fencing and environmental report grants, this grant package provides a very realistic and attractive package to cover the costs of forest establishment.The grant and premium package was formulated to optimise the incentivisation of tree planting and deliver on climate action targets as well as delivering economies of scale to the forest industry to help deal with rising living costs. Cost benefit analysis of the new Grant and premium rates shows a very attractive rate of return, most especially for farmers and heralds a new and exciting period for forestry in Ireland.

The new Forestry Programme will drive a new and brighter future for forestry, for farmers and for our climate. The new Forestry Strategy (2023 -2030) and the Programme 2023-2027 provides an unprecedented opportunity for my department, the forest industry and stakeholders to promote, encourage and facilitate forestry as a realistic, attractive and profitable land use option and deliver significant societal benefits.

Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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758. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the date he expects to publish his forestry licensing plan for 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58729/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department published the Forestry Licensing Plan 2022 in February this year. The plan informed stakeholders of our targets for the delivery of afforestation, felling and forest road licences, and of our commitment to reducing the backlog. It represented a year-on-year increase of 30% on 2021, with a target of 5,250 licences.

To 25th November 2022, we have issued 4,360 licences which is 92% of our expected output at this point in the year. The backlog in licences overall has reduced from 6,000 in August 2021, to 3,700 in January of this year and now stands at 2,042 at 25th November 2022. We are issuing more licences than applications received, and this means that the backlog continues to drop, with faster turnaround times for new applicants.

I see great merit in signalling to forest owners, landowners, and the forest sector our intentions at the beginning of the year which is why I intend to publish a new Forestry Licensing Plan early in 2023

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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759. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the attention of the forestry division within his Department has been drawn to reports that the devastating Ash dieback disease, chalara fraxinea, was present in Europe and moving westward towards Ireland in the years previous to its outbreak in Ireland in 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58737/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department was aware that this new disease of ash was present in other Members States and had carried out surveys for the disease before it was first found in Ireland.

Ash dieback disease caused by the organism Hymenoscyphus fraxineuswas first found in Ireland in 2012 and is now widespread throughout the country and the rest of Europe. It is a wind-borne disease and airborne transmission from continental Europe has been attributed to its introduction into the southeast of Great Britain and to rapid spread throughout the natural range of ash in Europe. Airborne transmission has similarly resulted in its rapid spread throughout the island of Ireland, where the disease is now widespread.

Plant health rules that restrict the movement of plants and plant products into a Member State must be stringently scientifically substantiated so that they are not perceived to be barriers to trade (and globally also under WTO rules), under the then governing EU Plant Health Directive (Council Directive 2000/29/EC) (replaced by the new EU Plant Regulation in December 2019), only certain plants and plant products were regulated. Under the old EU Directive, ash plants, ash trees or ash wood moving within the EU Internal Market were not regulated in any Member State and could freely move throughout the then 28 Member State.

Uniquely in the EU, Ireland and the UK cooperated to simultaneously introduced its own emergency national legislative measures in 2012.

While many tree species (e.g., ash, birch, beech) were not regulated under the outgoing Council Directive, it is a positive development that all plants under the new enhanced EU Plant Health Regulation (2016/2031), require a Plant Passport when moved within the EU between ‘Professional Operators’.

My Department has recently prepared a report on ash Dieback entitled "Origins of Ash Dieback Disease in Ireland, Lessons Learned and Research Update". This report is in response to the Report of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and the Marine, on ‘Issues Impacting the Forestry Sector in Ireland’ (2021).