The government is “failing” to deliver on forestry because afforestation licensing figures are continuing “to drop”, despite the roll out of the new Forestry Programme, according to the Sinn Féin spokesperson on Agriculture, Deputy Claire Kerrane.
The €1.3 billion programme includes increased premiums for planting trees of up to €1,142/ha – depending on the forest type – as well as extending the premium period from 15 to 20 years for farmers.
Kerrane said she has been engaging with farmers, forestry owners and the commercial forestry sector in recent weeks, who have told her of their “concerns about the management of forestry” .
Deputy Kerrane said: “Many have raised the same worries that the new afforestation scheme under the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 is too limited and restrictive, and at times, too administratively burdensome to allow for the levels of afforestation that we need.
“While I understand that eligibility criteria for planting is required, it cannot be the case that rules are so rigid to prevent afforestation on scale.
The new Forestry Programme has set a target of 8,000ha/per annum broken down by 12 forest types.
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine told the Dáil last week (November 14) that the Afforestation Scheme under the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 opened on September 6 and “existing applications are being migrated over to this scheme as the applicants opt in”.
“My department has now started issuing licences under this scheme.
“To date, 53 afforestation licences, previously licensed, have now been approved under the new scheme. This amounts to 516 hectares,” the minister stated.
Deputy Kerrane said foresters have also told her that many prospective afforestation sites are “no longer eligible due to new rules regarding planting on peatlands”.
She believes this potentially “rules out huge areas of land” in Ireland.
Afforestation
The Sinn Féin spokesperson added: “Minister Hackett has cited EU state aid rules as the rationale for this requirement, and I have submitted a query to the European Commission to seek clarity on this matter.
“Even where afforestation applications are being made, I am hearing from applicants that they are waiting for a long time for the file to be processed, with no timeframe for when they can expect to receive their licence.”
Minister Charlie McConalogue also told the Dáil that “the issuing of licences is demand-led, and the level of demand is indicated by the number of licence applications made”.
“Given we are now in a position to issue all licences, we will shortly publish a new Forestry Licensing Plan which will set out targets for my department that will meet the needs of the industry and our climate commitments,” he said.
But Deputy Kerrane said while it is welcome that the Forestry Programme is now in place she believes that “confidence in forestry remains at a low and shows little sign of improving”.
“”Farmers and forestry owners need to know they can have confidence in the management of forestry, and years of mismanagement has had an impact on buy-in in recent years,” she said.