Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent)
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666. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his Department has received communication from an association (details supplied); when this will be reviewed and a response issued; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3212/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware of the correspondence that the Deputy has provided and can confirm that a reply issued from Minister of State Hackett on 09 January 2023 addressing the concerns raised.

The launch of the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 is a matter that is being taken very seriously by my Department and I would like to assure the Deputy that it is a matter of the highest priority. The Forestry Programme 2023-2027 is subject to an ongoing Strategic Environmental Assessment/Appropriate Assessment (SEA/AA) process. As part of this process, the draft Forest Strategy Implementation plan containing the Forestry Programme was published on the 18 October 2022 for a six-week period of public consultation. The Department is currently collating and integrating feedback from more than 150 submissions on the Forest Strategy Implementation Plan

The Forestry Programme 2023-2027 also requires State Aid to implement and the SEA/AA process is a critical step in the process of securing State Aid approval from the Commission. The previous State Aid Guidelines in the agricultural and forestry sectors and in rural areas expired on 31 December 2022 and have now been replaced with a revised version as of 01 January 2023.

The introduction of these revised guidelines meant that a formal application for State Aid could not have been submitted to the European Commission until the revised guidelines were in place, i.e. before January 2023. Cognisant of the importance of implementing the new Forestry Programme as early as possible in 2023, and of the constraint that we could not submit a formal application for State Aid in 2022, the Department secured the agreement of the European Commission to facilitate a pre-notification in November 2022.

I am acutely aware of the urgency with which planting activity must take place, given both our ambitious targets and the need to ensure an active pipeline of work for the wider sector, including the forestry nursery sector. In this light, my Department worked intensively with the European Commission to pursue transitional arrangements for the use of valid Forestry Scheme approvals from January 2023. A circular on these arrangements issued to the sector together with an FAQ on 22 December 2022. A circular and FAQ issued on that date, and they are linked again below for ease of reference.

assets.gov.ie/243790/fca932df-df84-4888-9681-aadc6c2c8b12.pdf

assets.gov.ie/243779/74976133-b1ae-4b11-b055-b97b2ac67323.pdf

assets.gov.ie/243792/b84b04c8-bd53-479d-a3aa-76d1a1d884e3.pdf

As explained in the FAQ, my Department has put in place an Interim Afforestation Scheme and an Interim Forest Road Scheme to provide an option of immediate planting and/or roading from January 2023 for those with existing valid approvals. These Interim Schemes have been in place since 3 January 2023 and over 70 applications have already been received from the sector by my Department.

My Department is actively engaging with the Commission, and our officials are working intensively towards submitting the formal application with a view to secure full State Aid approval for the Forestry Programme 2023 – 2027 as soon as possible.

As regards Ash dieback, I am more than aware of the concerns SEEFA have raised and I will continue to work to address those very serious concerns. My Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage have made a recent change in Planning and Development Regulations, which provides for an exemption from the requirement for planning permission for projects involving the replacement of broadleaf high forest by conifer species in all applications less than 10 hectares, where the project is licensed or approved by my Department. This legislative amendment was consistently highlighted by the sector and by the members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine as a barrier to participation in the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (Ash Dieback).

It is clear that applications for the Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (Ash Dieback) will benefit from this legislative change, including those applications which are still being processed and have yet to be decided upon. In addition, as stated previously, I am committed to reviewing this scheme early this year.