Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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172. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will clarify the reason that only five afforestation licences have been granted to date in 2023; the number of afforestation licences granted in the same time period in 2022, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25151/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy may be aware that the Government has committed €1.3 billion to the new Forestry Programme, which is the biggest and largest funded Forestry Programme ever introduced by any Government here, and it has been designed to have an emphasis on close to nature forestry and to ensure that farmers will be its primary beneficiaries.

The Forestry Programme 2023 - 2027 is subject to State Aid approval from the EU Commission and is also subject to an ongoing Strategic Environmental Assessment/Appropriate Assessment (SEA/AA) process, which is a critical step in the process of securing State Aid approval.

We have been engaging proactively and intensively with the Commission over the last few months. Once EU Commission approval has been received, we will be in a position to launch the new Programme, subject to finalisation of the Strategic Environmental Assessment.

Until the new Programme is in place we are not in a position to issue licences for grant-aided afforestation and this is reflected in the figures below for 2023:

In recognition of the need for planting activity to continue, and pending the launch of the new Programme, my Department engaged with the Commission last December to secure an interim solution which has led to the introduction of an Interim Afforestation Scheme (Via General De Minimis). This ensured that those with valid licence approvals issued before the end of 2022, could avail of the current planting season under the higher grant and premium rates proposed to be paid under the new Programme. To date in 2023, the Department have approved the 279 Applications, representing 1,692 ha under the Scheme.

For those that wish to wait for the launch of the Forestry Programme 2023 -2027, unused valid Afforestation licences are being extended until the end of 2023 to give landowners every opportunity to plant and they will attract increased premium rates and a longer term of 20 years for farmers.

The launch of the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 is a matter of the utmost priority for me, Minister of State Pippa Hackett who has overall responsibility for the sector and the Department, as a comprehensive and well-subscribed Forestry Programme has the potential to deliver lasting benefits for climate change, biodiversity, wood production, economic development and quality of life.