The European Commission has contacted the Irish government to seek further information on its proposed new €1.3 billion forestry programme for 2023 to 2027.
Minister of State with responsibility for land use and biodiversity, Pippa Hackett, told the Seanad that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has received “further written correspondence” from the commission in relation to the forestry programme.
Minister Hackett told the Seanad that DAFM is currently “preparing an additional reply to the further correspondence” from the commission on June 21.
Senator Victor Boyhan, who sits on the agricultural panel in the Seanad, has now called for “transparency” from the government in relation to its dealings with the commission.
“The government needs to share with all stakeholders, rather than just some, how critical the EU is of the entire Irish forestry model being advanced in this programme.
“I am told the commission is seriously critical of the sitka spruce model that has been ongoing and which it is proposed continue as part of the new plan.
“I hear the commission is extremely concerned about the Coillte-Gresham House deal. There are a whole range of issues,” Senator Boyhan warned in the Seanad.
He said the government’s proposed programme was “ambitious and rightly so”, but he said stakeholders also need “more information and greater clarity” about the current position in relation to the government’s forestry programme.
According to the senator the new forestry programme is subject to an ongoing strategic environmental assessment (SEA) by the commission and he was aware that the DAFM “has been engaging with the commission in the past few months to secure approval”.
He also told the Seanad that “there is a suggestion there are issues around the SEA”.
“It has been suggested the SEA report does not appear to adequately address concerns about the piecemeal forestry plantations on high-value farmland,” Senator Boyhan added.
But he outlined to the Seanad that while this review process continues, the new forestry announced by the government in November 2022 is effectively stalled.
He said: “This new programme was expected to replace the previous one, which expired at the end of 2022. The department submitted the request for state aid approval only in early 2023.
“We had difficultly in understanding the date, but we now know that is all done. It is July and the new programme is still awaiting formal state aid approval from the European Commission.
“The department cannot issue licenses for granting afforestation roads or forestry support schemes until the new programme is in place.”
In response, Minister Hackett told Senator Boyhan: “My department is engaged proactively with the commission in order to secure state aid approval as soon as is allowable.
“The commission is currently reviewing this notification in detail to decide whether the proposed forestry programme is compatible with EU state aid rules.”
According to the minister, bilateral discussions also took place “in person with executive vice president Timmermans and Commissioner Sinkevieius last month” – during which Irish government ministers “emphasised the importance of the forestry programme to our climate change and environmental targets, as well as our commitment to complying with all relevant EU environmental law”.
She added: “Due to the ongoing engagement with the commission, it is not appropriate to comment further, at this stage of the formal state aid process, on the details of the correspondence exchanged.”
Minister Hackett told the Seanad that DAFM had engaged with the commission last December to secure an interim solution in the meantime.
“This led to the introduction of an interim afforestation scheme, an interim forest road scheme and an interim ash dieback reconstitution and underplanting scheme,” she added.
According to Minister Hackett, to date in 2023, 1,575 felling licences have issued for 18,386ha and a total of 288 applications have been approved under the interim afforestation scheme representing 1,752ha.
“Of those, almost 1,195ha of planting has been completed. Planting has commenced and will be completed on the remaining 261 ha,” she added.
Forestry dashboard
Meanwhile, overall, an area of 133ha has been afforested so far this year, according to figures published by the DAFM.
And, nine afforestation licences have been issued by the DAFM in 2023.
Under the government’s Climate Action Plan 2023, annual afforestation rates are set to increase from approximately 2,000ha/yr in 2022 to 8,000ha/yr from 2023 onwards.
Up until the end of June 2023, the DAFM had approved the construction of 27km of forestry roads and the felling of 18,386ha of forests.
In total 1,575 felling and 72 road licences have been issued so far this year.
The number of applications received currently stands at 1,211 and 251 respectively.