Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 6 July 2023
297. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline in tabular form the number of tree-falling licences issued from 1 January 2022 to 31 May 2022; the number issued during the same timeframe in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33299/23]
View answer298. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to outline in tabular form the total number of kilometres of road licences issued from 1 January 2022 to 31 May 2022; the total number issued during the same timeframe in 2023, and to clarify why there has been a significant decrease in road licences issued in 2023 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33300/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 297 and 298 together.
As the Deputy may be 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 rules and to an ongoing Strategic Environmental Assessment and Appropriate Assessment process, which is well advanced.
A revised Agricultural Block Exemption Regulation ( ABER), which was expanded favourably in relation to forestry, came into force from 01 January 2023. The Forest Road scheme met the conditions to be block exempted and was notified to the Commission under the ABER. The scheme was deemed acceptable to proceed under the State Aid Framework. Subsequently, the Forest Road Scheme launched on 24/04/2023 and my Department has accepted applications since that date.
The scheme is subject to the ongoing Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA)/Appropriate Assessment (AA) process so no approvals will issue until the appropriate environmental processes have been concluded to allow for any possible changes to any terms and conditions. However, opening the scheme allows for forest road applications to be lodged and for progress to be made towards a decision.
In addition and in recognition of the need for forestry activity to continue, and pending the launch of the new Programme, my Department engaged with the Commission last December to secure an interim solution which included the opening of an Interim Forest Road Scheme . This has ensured that those with valid road licences at the end of 2022 can avail of the higher grant rates as proposed under the new Programme.
Meanwhile the issuing of felling licences by my Department is not affected by the engagement with the European Commission. Indeed, to date, 1,575 felling licences have issued from my Department, equating to 18,386 hectares. The volume of wood available from these licences amounts to 5,025,884m3.
|
Roads licences issued in km |
De Minimis Forest Road approvals in km |
Number of felling licences issued |
Felling area approved in Ha |
|
|
1st January 2022 to 31st May 2022 |
1,702 |
1,470 |
20,203 |
|
|
1st January 2023 to 31st May 2023 |
119 |
56 |
1,351 |
16,072 |
