Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 June 2023
979. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the European Commission has reverted to his Department with any questions or requests for further information in relation to the forestry programme application which was submitted in April; if so, the dates on which such requests or questions occurred; if any such questions or requests have been dealt with; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28314/23]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the new and ambitious €1.3bn Forestry Programme 2023-2027 will replace the previous Programme which expired at the end of 2022.
The new Programme is subject to State Aid approval under the Guidelines from the EU Commission. It is also subject to an ongoing Strategic Environmental Assessment and Appropriate Assessment process, which is well advanced.
The Department has been engaging proactively and intensively with the Commission over the last few months in order to secure approval. Once it is received, we will be in a position to launch new forestry schemes, subject to finalization of the Strategic Environmental Assessment.
The position at the moment is that the Commission is reviewing our State Aid Notification and will decide whether the aid proposed under the new Programme is compatible with EU rules. To this end, I can confirm that my Department received further correspondence relating to our application from the Commission on Tuesday the 6th of June which will require a response. My Department will now respond to this correspondence comprehensively in as efficient a timeframe as possible.
Not all schemes under the Programme require State Aid approval under the Guidelines and on 24th April 2023, under the Agricultural Block Exemption Regulation, my Department opened two schemes for applications, the Forest Roads Scheme and the Innovative Forest Technology Scheme – Module 2 Investment Aid for the Development of the Forest Tree Nursery Sector.
In recognition of the need for forestry activity to continue, and pending the launch of the new Programme, my Department also engaged with the Commission last December to secure an interim solution which has led to the introduction of an Interim Afforestation Scheme, an Interim Forest Road Scheme and an interim Ash Dieback Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme via General De Minimis. This ensured that those with valid afforestation licences issued before the end of 2022 could avail of the current planting season under the higher grant and premium rates proposed under the new Programme.
Likewise, those with valid road licences and approvals under the Ash Dieback Scheme at the end of 2022 could avail of the higher grants and enhanced payment rates as proposed under the new Programme.
I would like to assure you that the launch of the Forestry Programme 2023-2027 is a matter of the utmost priority for everyone in the Department and all efforts are directed towards its early introduction.
