I propose to take Questions Nos. 787, 789 and 791 together.
The Mid-Term Review (MTR) of the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 examined areas for possible improvement, such as the removal of barriers to afforestation uptake. One of the items raised 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.
Feedback received from stakeholders during this process indicated that flexibility should be introduced in the farmer definition to reduce the administrative burden on farm families. Following the MTR, a simplified definition is now in place for the remainder of the Forestry Programme 2023-2027.
It requires an applicant to pass my Department’s “Active Farmer check” and to have received a valid payment under the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) scheme prior to the completion of planting. It removes the previous requirement for applicants to be a member of BISS in each of the four years immediately prior to planting.
The active farmer check itself remains the same as that used by my Department prior to the MTR. This refers to the active farmer check required for Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS). This check ensures the beneficiary is actively farming prior to entry into the Afforestation Scheme.
There are different ways that an applicant can satisfy the “active farmer check” which are defined in section 10 of the BISS 2026 terms and conditions.
Rather than being a disadvantage, I am confident that the removal of the four-year BISS requirement will help to reduce barriers for genuine farmers and new entrant farmers to engage in forestry, whilst keeping a protective mechanism in place to ensure that the farmer differential is targeted appropriately.
