Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 October 2013
215. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which forestry premia are payable in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; the extent to which premium payments are now due or remain outstanding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45493/13]
View answerWhile grant aid for establishment of plantations was available to landowners in 1989 when the person in question afforested his land under the Western Package Scheme, there was no scheme providing annual forestry premiums in place at that time. A scheme of compensatory allowances was available at the time as an adjunct to the Headage Payments scheme, i.e. it was payable as a top-up to farmers in receipt of headage payments. However, the person concerned was not a participant in the Headage scheme.
A scheme of forestry premiums for non-farmers only came into being for landowners who afforested their land after 1993. Therefore the person concerned does not qualify for any forestry premium payments on his land.
