Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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1735. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide a breakdown of the Forestry Licenses issued in 2025 will the department provide a breakdown of the hectares of licenses granted to Coillte; the hectares of the licenses granted to private farmers and hectares of licenses granted to funds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45058/25]

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. 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.

In 2025 year to date 1,693 licences have been issued consisting of:

- 963 Felling licences of which 221 were issued to Coillte covering an area of 2,340 ha.  The total area of all Felling licences is 12,038 ha.

- 309 Afforestation licences of which 3 were issued to Coillte covering an area of 27 ha.  The total area of all Afforestation licences issued is 2,334 ha.

- 421 Forest Road licences of which 215 were issued to Coillte covering 78km.  The total for all Forest Road licences issued totals 155km.