Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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2187. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the total number of hectares of forestry approved for planting by individual farmers, commercial companies and pension/investment funds; the county-level locations of those plantings; and the percentage share of each category in the overall area planted, for each year from 2014 to 2024, in tabular form. [41838/25]

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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2188. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of applications for forestry planting licences received and approved from, farmers and commercial entities that is, companies, funds and pension schemes, in tabular form. [41839/25]

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 2187 and 2188 together.

The Forestry Programme 2023-2027 provides generous incentives for farmers and other landowners, particularly offering farm families an opportunity to increase and diversify their income streams.

The Government’s preferred model of afforestation is for farmers to plant trees on their land. The Afforestation Scheme 2023-2027 has improved upon the 2014-2020 programme and now pays farmers 33% more in annual premium payments than other landowners and offers longer premia term of 20 years for farmers, compared to 15 years for non-farmers, across most Forest Types.

I have attached planting detail showing the year-by-year and county-by-county breakdown for your information from 2015 up to 2024.

https:/data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachtas/debates/questions/supportingDocumentation/2025-07-29_pq-2187-88-29-07-2025_en.xlsx

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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2189. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the comparative breakdown of financial returns per hectare from forestry for individual farmers and commercial entities that is, companies, investment funds and pension schemes, by total grant payments, annual premium receipts and the revenues from timber sales, both before and after tax, based on a standard 30-year rotation plan, for each category, in tabular form. [41840/25]

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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Under the Forestry Programme 2023 to 2027 premiums range from 20 years for farmers to 15 years for non-farmers (companies and other commercial enterprises as well as individuals). To be considered a farmer for the purpose of the Afforestation Scheme an applicant must Pass the Department’s “Active Farmer check”, be an approved member of Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) or Basic Payment Scheme (BPS). It should also be noted that all Afforestation grants and premia, as well as income earned through thinning and felling is income tax free.

The attached table provides the cost per hectare of grants and premia for each of the 12 Forest Types (FT) and the Native Tree Area Scheme available to applicants in the current Forestry Programme.

The value of a forest is dependent on a wide range of factors and it is difficult to provide exact figures as requested. To provide land owners with information on estimated timber revenues and forest characteristics my Department has developed the www.forestry.designwest.ie/public/ which is freely available on the DAFM website.

The Felling Decision Tool provides owners with information on indicative timber revenues at different stages in the forest cycle for conifer forests. Using the Felling Decision Tool, it is possible to assess how clearfell revenue varies according to productivity for a range of conifer species. No price data is available for broadleaved species. Users should be aware that the figures generated are indicative and revenues could be lower if markets are less favourable at the time of sale, or quality and access is poor. Supply and demand also has a significant impact on timber prices.

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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2190. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the stamp duty rates applied to commercial purchasers of forestry land including timber value and farmers acquiring the same land, in tabular form. [41841/25]

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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Stamp duty rates are the under the remit of the Revenue Commissioner. Subject to conditions, a reduced stamp duty rate of 1% is applicable to qualifying farmers on the purchase of qualifying land for the purposes of farm consolidation. This relief is to encourage the consolidation of farm holdings, to reduce fragmentation and to improve the operation and viability of farms.

The relief is restricted to farmers who are individuals, and it is not available to companies. For the purposes of this relief, a farmer is a person who spends not less than 50% of his or her normal working time farming. Farming includes the occupation of woodlands on a commercial basis.

The types of property (which must be situated in the State) that can qualify for the relief are:

• agricultural land;
• land suitable for occupation as woodlands on a commercial basis; and
• such farm buildings as are of a character appropriate to the land on which they are situated.

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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2191. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the breakdown or map showing all lands acquired by the Irish Strategic Forestry Fund to date, with hectare totals and purchase prices, in tabular form. [41842/25]

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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2192. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the details of the Coillte-Gresham House Irish Strategic Forestry Fund arrangement; the total value of State-backed funding committed; the number of hectares of land acquired; and the locations of those land parcels, in tabular form. [41843/25]

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 2191 and 2192 together.

In January 2023, Coillte partnered with the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) - which is state-owned and part of the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) under the aegis of the Department of Finance - and Gresham House to establish the Irish Strategic Forestry Fund (ISFF).

Coillte’s role in the fund is to source land, to plant new forests and to provide forest management services to the fund. As Coillte is operationally independent from my Department, I have referred the question in relation to the details of its arrangement with the ISFF to Coillte for direct reply.

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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2193. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps his Department is taking to ensure that State forestry incentives do not disproportionately advantage large investment funds over young or family farmers, in tabular form. [41844/25]

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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The Forestry Programme 2023-2027 provides generous incentives for farmers and other landowners, particularly offering farm families an opportunity to increase and diversify their income streams.

The Government’s preferred model of afforestation is for farmers to plant trees on their land. Several measures have been put in place to encourage this.

The Afforestation Scheme 2023-2027 pays farmers 33% more in annual premium payments than other landowner through a longer premia term of 20 years for farmers, compared to 15 years for non-farmers, across most Forest Types. Newly planted forestry also continues to qualify for the Basic Income Support Payment (BISS) Scheme, subject to underlying BISS rules.

The Afforestation Scheme also offers an agroforestry option for farmers. Agroforestry is recognised as a land use option that is positive for animal welfare, improves biodiversity and allows the growth of quality timber with little impact on existing agricultural production. My Department has developed our agroforestry offering to allow land parcels declared as agroforestry on a BISS application to qualify for an Organic Farming Scheme payment at the drystock rate. This allows a farmer to claim an agroforestry premium for 10 years, Organic Farming Scheme payment and BISS on their land.

My Department also launched the Native Tree Area Scheme in 2024. The Scheme facilitates small scale planting of native tree areas without the need to first obtain an afforestation licence. This Scheme is aimed at re-engaging farmers with afforestation and only land that has been used for agricultural purposes is eligible for consideration.

Afforestation is a voluntary land use choice for landowners. To encourage uptake, my Department has engaged in extensive promotion of the new forestry options. The incentives on offer to farmers demonstrates our continued commitment to farmers and rural communities.