The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine “is continuing to process” forestry applications while the Irish government awaits state aid approval from the European Commission for its next forestry programme, according to the Minister for Agriculture.
Minister Charlie McConalogue said forestry applications are being processed “to the point just before certification and approval”.
The Irish government has sought approval from the European Commission for its proposed new €1.3 billion forestry programme for 2023 to 2027.
The new programme is subject to state aid approval under the guidelines from the European Union Commission.
The commission has requested further information about the programme from Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) which is currently “preparing an additional reply”.
Forestry programme
In the meantime the new forestry programme is effectively stalled until it gets the green light from the commission.
The Sinn Féin TD for Tipperary questioned the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine on what ” measures” were currently being taken “to ensure that any backlog in afforestation licence applications that result from the delayed forestry programme will be processed in a prompt manner should the application to the European Commission for state aid to fund the forestry programme be successful”.
Minister McConalogue explained that DAFM was “continuing to process applications that are in the system in the normal manner” up to the point of certification and approval.
“The aim is to have processed as many grant aid applications as possible so that approvals will be ready to issue as soon as allowable.
“I remain fully committed to delivering a fully functioning licensing system which will meet the needs of the sector and of society and which matches the ambition of the new forestry programme, which includes keeping resources under review,” he added.
The Independent TD for Clare, Violet-Anne Wynne, also queried why there had been “a six month delay” in the government publishing the new forestry programme for 2024.
In response the minister stressed to the deputy that DAFM had been “engaging proactively and intensively with the commission over the last few months in order to secure approval”
However the Sinn Féin, Roscommon-Galway TD Claire Kerrane, also highlighted that there were issues surrounding a “Strategic Environmental Assessment” that must be carried out in relaiton to the forestry programme.
“The forest strategy implementation plan (including the forestry programme 2023-2027) was published with the associated Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) environmental report and AA natura impact report on 18 October 2022 for a six-week period of public consultation.
“The position at the moment is that the commission is reviewing our state aid notification and will decide whether the aid proposed under the new programme is compatible with EU rules.
“Once state aid approval has been granted, the SEA can be finalised, after incorporating any relevant outcomes of this process,” the minister said in response.