The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, refused to answer any questions on the Gresham House/Coillte-backed forestry fund during a briefing for Oireachtas members on interim forestry schemes today (Thursday, January 19).
Minister McConalogue, together with the Minister of State with responsibility for Forestry, Pippa Hackett, held the private briefing to update members of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture and the Marine on interim forestry-related schemes.
However, they stipulated that they would not discuss any details or take questions relating to the controversial Gresham House/Coillte-backed forestry fund.
Minister McConalogue introduced the interim afforestation and forest road schemes at the beginning of this month.
He had to put the schemes in place because the €1.3 billion Forestry Programme 2023–2027 – unveiled by Minister Hackett and then Taoiseach, Micheál Martin last November – is subject to state-aid approval from the European Commission and has not yet been signed off by the commission.
The national Forestry Programme, which went out to public consultation until November 29, last year, is the cornerstone of Ireland’s Forest Strategy 2023 -2030, which is yet to be published.
The new programme intends to increase premiums for planting trees by between 46% and 66% and to extend the premium period from 15 to 20 years for farmers.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) had previously indicated that the programme would “come into force in early 2023” once approval is secured from the commission.
However, ministers today told members of the Joint Committee on Agriculture and the Marine that there was no time frame on the approval process and that it could potentially take up to eight months.
Forestry Programme
The European Commission also confirmed to Agriland today that it was “in contact with the Irish authorities regarding the national forestry programme, including its possible means of financing”.
It added: “We cannot comment on the content of the discussions or the timing of ongoing cases.”
Meanwhile, Minister McConalogue has introduced the interim afforestation scheme and an interim forest road scheme based on the De Minimis rule which effectively makes them exempt from state aid rules.
He has said the schemes aim to “encourage planting and roading from the beginning of 2023 for those with existing valid approvals as of December 31, 2022”.
However, under EU state-aid rules, the DAFM is not permitted to issue new afforestation or grant-aided roads licences under the interim arrangements.
Senator Victor Boyhan, who is a member of the Committee on Agriculture and the Marine, believes “forestry is in crisis”.
“We need clarity as to what is really going on. In 2019 the DAFM commissioned a review of the approval processes for afforestation in Ireland, why has this review – the Mackinnon report – not been fully implemented?
“What we need is a sustainable forestry sector, one that can deliver on commerical, climate and biodiversity goals and one that would contribute to a reduction in the volume of imported timber.
“I believe it is premature and unwise to take for granted approval from the commission on the proposed Forestry Programme 2023–2027,” the senator added.
He said there were a lot of “unanswered questions” from the ministerial briefing with Oireachtas members today.
“We know that the DAFM is in the process of providing further information to the European Commission on the proposed Forestry Programme, but what are the outstanding issues and what is holding the process up?” Senator Boyhan asked.