Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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288. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 119 of 29 November 2023, if, with regard to the difference in premiums between the new Forestry Programme and the previous programme, consideration has been given to raising premiums established under the previous programme to accommodate for factors such as inflation, and to support farmers forestry owners with any additional costs they might incur as a result of the new programme rules; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54358/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Forestry Programme 2023-2027 is the most ambitious Programme to date, when compared to its predecessors. It offers new and revised schemes, which are reflected by the increased payment rates contained within this Programme. These increased rates are intended to incentivise the behavioural changes required, whilst also reflecting the new terms and conditions associated within these distinct schemes.

The previous Forestry Programme 2014-2020 (extended to 2022) was a standalone Programme, therefore the schemes contained within are subject to their own unique terms, conditions, and rates. It should also be noted that the Irish Forestry Programmes require State Aid approval from the European Commission to implement.

A key principle of State Aid approval is that this aid must have an "incentive effect" to remain compatible with the EU internal market. An incentive effect is present when the aid changes the behaviour of an undertaking such as additional activity contributing to the development of the sector, where it would not have taken place without such aid or where in its absence the activity would have transpired in a restricted or different manner. In addition, the State Aid must be considered proportionate and limited to the minimum amount of aid per beneficiary to realise this change.

The Department of Agriculture as the Granting Authority in this instance, must ensure that any State Aid provided does not subsidise the costs of an activity or undertaking that would have incurred in any instance and must not compensate for the normal business risk of an economic activity. Therefore, my Department, in line with State Aid rules considers that an increase in aid for an applicant under an existing contract, would be in breach of the incentive and proportionality conditions as required within the State Aid Guidelines.

Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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289. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to detail the specific section of the specific policy document that specified a maximum peat depth of 50 cm applied to the afforestation scheme in the last forestry programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54368/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The afforestation scheme in the previous forestry programme outlined the types of land suitable for afforestation in the document ‘Land Types for Afforestation (2017)’.

A maximum peat depth of 50cm was applied, for certain site types only. This maximum peat depth did not apply to fertile sites classified as Grant Premium Category 2 (GPC 2) to GPC 12, nor did it apply in all GPC 1 scenarios.

This is explained in Section 3 ‘Suitable Land - GPC 1’

This section, on page 7 of this document includes the text

“Suitable Land: GPC 1 is characterised by vegetation indicative of moderate fertility, and includes the following:

1. Sites purely comprising purple moor-grass and with an average peat depth of less than 50 cm.

2. Sites comprising purple moor-grass combined with bog-myrtle, and with an average peat depth of less than 50cm”

This section also includes the text

“GPC 1 includes sites with a R+N score of 5.4 to 5.9. It also includes sites scoring 5.0 to 5.3 where the site has an average peat depth of less than 50 cm and is capable of being suitably drained.”