Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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751. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if new forestry grant rates are in line with inflation since 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39871/23]

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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752. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if grants for afforestation cover 100% of costs associated with establishing a plantation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39872/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 751 and 752 together.

The new forestry programme 2023-27 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.

The published proposed grant rates for each of the forest types reflect the overall direct costs of establishing a range of different types of forests. These rates have been agreed with DPENDR and have been approved under State Aid regulations by the European Commission.

Native Tree Area Scheme will be paid at FT1 and FT2 rates.

*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

In setting rates my Department's 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 and labour costs and overheads involved in the establishment of forests.

The grant and premium package was formulated to optimise the incentivisation of tree planting, and to deliver on climate action targets, in particular by encouraging uptake amongst farmers.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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753. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine how his Department calculates the number of licences required by the forestry industry annually; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39873/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The annual number of forestry licences required by the industry is determined by a number of economic and environmental factors. My Department's targets for afforestation are informed by the Climate Action Plan, the targets for roads by historic and projected activity, and the targets for felling licences by the timber harvest forecasts from the COFORD Roundwood Production Forecast 2016-2035.

The afforestation target of 8,000 hectares per year is set out in the most recent Climate Action Plan. Forestry roads licensing is demand-led, and my Department's targets are informed by historic requirements in the private sector of 125 km per annum, and Coillte average annual road requirements. The issuing of felling licences is also demand-led, and the level of demand is indicated by the number of licence applications made.

My Department has continued to issue felling licences at a high rate. The volume of wood licensed to be felled at the end of 2022 was over 9 million cubic metres, which significantly exceeds the COFORD forecast of 4.5 million cubic metres.

As the new Forestry Programme 2023 -2027 has now been launched, my Department is in a position to issue all licences. It will, in the near future, publish a new Forestry Licensing Plan. This will cover the remainder of 2023, while also indicating plans for 2024. Targets will be identified by, among other things, taking the relevant economic and environmental factors as outlined into consideration.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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755. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the table detailing the fencing rates for the afforestation programme 2023 to 2027 contains any error, as the maximum per hectare of €880 at forest level does not allow for the erection of 160 meters of stock-sheep and stock-rabbit at the rates per linear meter determined in the table for IS436 and non-IS436; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39875/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Forestry Programme 2023-2027 provides significant grant increases across all forest types, including increases in the eligible rates per metre for each type of fence erected, as well as an increased maximum financial cap per forest.

The rates detailed in the fencing grant table follow the same format as the rates described in the previous Forestry Programme, and there are no errors. You will note that the financial caps have increased to €50,000 per hectare, and the density of fencing is now increased to 160 metres per hectare when IS436 stock-proof fencing is erected.

The maximum cap for IS436 fencing has also been increased to €880 per hectare and was calculated using a density of 160 metres per hectare at a rate of €5.50 per metre. Although other fence types can be more expensive to erect than stock fences, the financial cap of €880 per hectare still applies when IS436 fences are erected.

It should be noted that the fencing requirements differ on each farm holding and in some cases, there will be no need to erect fences to the densities specified.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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756. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if holders of valid forest road approvals can start their forest road projects and that current provision to opt into the forestry programme 2023-2027 exists, as the de minimis options are no longer available; if this also applies to the ash dieback Reconstitution and Underplanting schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39876/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department will be writing to holders of valid grant aided road licences and valid RUS approvals, who have not opted into the De Minimis Schemes, in the coming weeks offering them the opportunity to opt into the new Roads and Reconstitution Ash-dieback schemes under the new Forestry Programme.

Those who received approval under the Department's De Minimis Schemes may commence work in line with their approved timelines.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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757. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine how many native woodland scheme training courses are scheduled before the end of 2023, given it is now mandatory to have this scheme done to lodge applications for FT1, FT2, FT3 and FT5; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39887/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 757, 765 and 766 together.

Significant training requirements exist to support the delivery of the new Forestry Programme, and this work is underway. Last month my Department held two initial online information sessions for Registered Foresters on the new afforestation scheme in advance of its launch on the 6th of September.

Further training is required in a number of areas, particularly land types identification. In-person and field training will be provided to Registered Foresters and other relevant professionals in early October, and will be delivered regionally. Beginning on the week of Monday 25 September, it is also intended to conduct a series of short webinars to cover specific issues, in particular the use of new INET features, Native Woodland Establishment, the Deer and Tree Shelter Scheme, Forest Design, Forest Roads, and further Land Types Identification training and orientation. We will shortly write to registered foresters and other relevant professionals with details and times of these training events.

Guidance documents such as Land Types for Afforestation and Environmental Requirements for Afforestation are also available on my Department's website, at the following link gov.ie - Regulation, Forest Health and Resources (www.gov.ie). An FAQ document on the Afforestation Scheme 2023-2027 is available here gov.ie - Forestry Grants and Schemes (www.gov.ie).

Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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759. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the deer tree shelter, hare and deer fencing schemes are currently available to applicants about to commence afforestation projects who without such supports are at a serious financial disadvantage; if he will agree to providing the deer tree shelter, hare and deer fencing scheme grant retrospectively for applicants who erect tree shelters during the afforestation process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39981/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I am pleased to say that the Afforestation Scheme under the new 2023-2027 Forestry Programme opened for applications on the 6th of September 2023, and in tandem we are opening the Deer Tree Shelter, Hare and Deer Fencing Scheme this week.

Applicants who wish to use deer shelters will need to receive written approval under the Deer Tree Shelter, Hare and Deer Fencing Scheme prior to commencement of the work, as grants cannot be paid retrospectively.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 761 and 762 together.

The State Aid approval for the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 contains new environmental requirements. These additional requirements fully align the licence application and assessment process for afforestation with both environmental legislation and with the State Aid conditions underpinning the new Forestry Programme.

I would like to assure the Deputy that there are no areas automatically excluded from afforestation as a result of an overlap with a High Nature Value Farming likelihood classification. Research from Teagasc in 2020 identified five likelihood categories of High Nature Value farmland (HNVf) in Ireland, and mapped their distribution. This indicative HNVf map has been incorporated into my Department's IT systems (iFORIS and iNET) and can be used by Registered Foresters and by my Department when submitting and processing applications. Where an application is within an area that has been classified on the map as having a high likelihood of being HNVf, then the applicant will be required to provide additional information.

This additional information will be provided in the form of a habitat survey classification, a species survey to indicate site productivity, assessment of any overlap with semi-natural grassland layer and the links or potential links to Annex I habitat. In the assessment of the application my Department will consider this information and all other relevant information. Sites, or parts of sites, that have a high scoring in terms of species rich grassland will not be planted.

I am acutely aware of the need to increase our levels of afforestation but I am also conscious that this needs to be done in a legally compliant and environmentally sustainable manner. I am confident that the new environmental considerations introduced for the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 will allow us to achieve this.