Ireland has not yet submitted its completed application for state aid approval on its national forestry programme to the EU Commission, Minister of State with responsibility for forestry Pippa Hackett has confirmed.
Speaking during commencement matters in the Seanad today (Wednesday, January 25), Minister Hackett confirmed that while there has been some back and forth between government and the Commission, the final, formal submission has yet to be sent.
However, she added that the process will likely be completed shortly.
“I understand that we are finalising our process with the Commission, we had to get more information over to them but I would like to think that we will be making our formal submission in a matter of weeks.
“We do need to receive the full state-aid approval before we can fully get our forestry programme up and running.
“However, that doesn’t stop any trees going in the ground now and anyone who has an existing licence can plant under the arrangements of the proposed EU programme,” she added.
The minister stated that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has introduced an interim afforestation and roads scheme, which will allow those with valid approvals under the previous forestry programme to continue operations.
“Under the interim arrangements, over 7,000ha of existing afforestation licences can now proceed to planting stage at the rates proposed under the new programme.
“Licences for felling and non-grant-aided roads licences will also continue to issue,” she added.
Senator Victor Boyhan raised concerns to the minister in relation to the length of time that the state aid approval process can take, and said “we’re talking about time constraints here, the minister [of agriculture, food and the marine] informed me that it could take up to eight months”.
Minister Hackett confirmed this, but said she believes the process will not take the full amount of time.
“The process can last from two to eight months, I know that sounds like a very long time but from the last time we did this in 2014, it was a three-month process.
“We’ve done a lot of work and we have engaged with the Commission prior to the end of last year as well, so I like to think we’ll have ticked the necessary boxes,” she added.
New guidelines for state aid in the agricultural, forestry and rural areas were introduced on December 14, 2022 and came into force on January 1, of this year.
Minister Hackett concluded by reiterating that securing the Commission’s approval is key and “it is very important” that Ireland gets it right.