Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 March 2026
235. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether his Department has assessed the extent to which administrative delays continue to affect forestry licensing and scheme approvals. [22696/26]
View answer238. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of potential applicants excluded from forestry schemes under the previous farmer definition; and whether the change to the definition was made in response to low participation rates. [22699/26]
View answer239. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine whether the removal of the four-year BISS-BPS requirement will significantly increase the number of eligible forestry applicants. [22700/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 235, 238 and 239 together.
I am pleased to have recently published the results of the Mid-Term Review (MTR) of the Forestry Programme 2023-2027. This process examined areas for improvement such as the removal of barriers to afforestation uptake.
One of the items raised in the MTR related to the Farmer differential (the number of years in receipt of premiums) which is set at 20 years for farmers and 15 years for non-farmers. The intent of this in the Afforestation Scheme 2023-2027 is to ensure that this differential is targeted appropriately. Following the MTR, a simplified definition will now be in place for the remainder of the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 which will only require an applicant to pass the Department’s “Active Farmer check” and have received a valid payment under the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) scheme prior to the completion of planting. It also removes the requirement for applicants to be a member of BISS in each of the four years immediately prior to planting. This will help to lessen the administrative burden on farm families and reduce barriers for farm succession.
Significant progress has also been made in the processing of licences, with the majority now being processed within the timelines set out in the Farmers’ Charter: 6 months for screened-out applications (not subject to Appropriate Assessment), and within 9 months for screened-in (subject to Appropriate Assessment).
I am confident this will allow my Department to continue to support landowners to plant trees on their land and grow the forestry sector into 2026 and beyond.
