Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 December 2021
354. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 747 of 30 November 2021, the number of participants that have actually planted forestry; the area of forestry planted by such participants; the number of applications for afforestation by such participants which were received by his Department after the participant had joined GLAS; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61015/21]
View answer355. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine further to Parliamentary Question No. 747 of 30 November 2021, if 1,000 participants is circa 2% of the total participants in GLAS; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61016/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 354 and 355 together.
Following on from Parliamentary Question 747 of 30th November, further analysis shows that 682 GLAS participants planted 3,702 hectares of forestry in the years 2016 to 2020 - this figure is based on the number who claimed a first grant and premium in those years. This represents 20% of all those who planted forestry in the period in question and is 17% of the total hectarage planted.
Other GLAS participants may have already had forestry planted on their lands, however this information is not readily to hand, given the long term nature of forestry. There are currently 48,000 participants in the GLAS scheme.
