Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 October 2022
796. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the Forestry Service advertised and accepted applications for a forest-frost reconstitution scheme without having a standard operating procedure in place to deal with the applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50166/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department launched a Reconstitution scheme to address frost damage earlier this year. The scheme was set up due to significant late spring frost events which took place during May 2019, May 2020, and May 2021. The scheme was established to reconstitute newly planted forests significantly damaged by these frost events and replacing dead trees with plants of acceptable quality, provenances and species. It is also to provide for remedial pruning of damaged crops where damage is significant but not severe enough to warrant full replacement of stems.
The scheme was open to private forest owners who planted during the period between 1st November 2017 and 1st June 2021 and whose entire plantations sustained a minimum of 30% losses were eligible to apply under the Scheme. The scheme was open for applications from Wednesday, January 19th, 2022 with a closing date for applications of Tuesday 31st May , 2022.
The Scheme documents and process were put in place for an early launch of the scheme to allow applications from the sector and the internal DAFM staff Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) developed subsequently.
My Department received 350 applications and these applications are currently being processed and acknowledgements issuing.
Full scheme details are available on gov.ie - Schemes and Payments (www.gov.ie).
