Andrew Doyle T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility for Forestry, has announced the release of the first bulk payment of annual tax-free forestry premiums for 2018.  The payments are currently being issued to forest owners who applied through the Department’s online services website www.agfood.ie.

Minister Doyle highlighted that “some 7,300 forest premium applications have been paid this week amounting to €27.8 million. This is a significant investment in rural Ireland. The Department will continue to process online applications for 2018 forest premiums as they are received, with payments continuing on a weekly basis throughout the year. This first payment is for applications received online which shows the benefit of applying online for forest owners. I would encourage others to consider this option in future”. 

The Minister of State added “the beginning of each year is a good time to consider options for the year ahead and I would encourage landowners to give serious consideration to forestry as a land use option. There are a range of schemes available under the current Forestry Programme so I believe that landowners should check those out in order to make a fully-informed decision. Details can be found at www.agriculture.gov.ie/forestservice.  The extent of payments being issued this week illustrates how forestry can provide a regular income stream for up to 15 years for Irish farmers. In the next few weeks, I expect to be announcing the outcome of a Mid Term Review of the 2014-2020 Forestry Programme which will make further exciting changes to these schemes”.

Note for Editors

Forest owners who have not submitted their online applications so far, can still apply online for their forestry premiums through the IFORIS Internet portal on the Department’s Online Services website (www.agfood.ie).

For applicants who use the paper based application system, it is envisaged that a further bulk premium payment run will be made in April 2018.  Application forms for the paper based system will be issued in February 2018 to forest owners who have not availed of the online application process by early February.

Further information on the supports available can be found on the Department’s website www.agriculture.gov.ie/forestservice.

The Forestry Programme 2014–2020 sets out an ambitious programme to increase Ireland’s forest resource. The bulk of the available funding is to support the Afforestation Grant and Premium Scheme which provides grants to cover the cost of planting and forest maintenance, along with annual forestry premiums for 15 years, to all land owners who plant new forests and woodlands.  Eligible broadleaf woodlands can be as small as 0.10 hectare, while the minimum area of eligible conifer forests is 1.00 hectare.  Forests and woodlands planted for commercial, environmental, aesthetic and amenity purposes are eligible for support under the Scheme.

A Mid Term Review of the Forestry Programme 2014-2020 is currently ongoing and the outcome of this review will be announced shortly.

The list of Forestry Companies registered with the Department can be found at:

https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/forestservice/grantsandpremiumschemes2015-2018/

END

Date Released: 08 January 2018