Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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148. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total area of land submitted at form one stage of the 20 licences issued week ending 23 February 2024 and the net area of land actually approved for the same licences, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10997/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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There are a variety of reasons that an application may be reduced in area from what was originally submitted.

Applications are assessed for silvicultural suitability and to ensure they align to DAFM scheme standards. Through the assessment process my Department considers various environmental sensitivities which can require the exclusion of areas from applications to avoid negative effects on the environment. The overall area of land approved can be impacted by, for example, Blanket peats, Curlew breeding buffer areas or Freshwater pearl mussel Top 8 catchments. Further information and guidelines can be found on my Departments website at gov - Regulation, Forest Health and Resources (www.gov.ie) which details the various requirements for Afforestation.

The table below details the area submitted and area approved for the 20 licences issued week ending 23^rd February, 2024