Doyle announces commencement of 2019 Forestry Premiums

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Andrew Doyle TD, today announced the commencement of the 2019 Forestry Premium payments totalling some €26.1 million to almost 5,000 forest owners. These payments are paid to applicants who apply online for their annual premium payment.

Welcoming the first payment run, Minister Doyle commented:

"I am delighted to see the commencement so early in the year of these forestry premium payments. This is part of our commitment to those who plant under the afforestation scheme and an average payment €5,200 to each farmer and landowner is a significant cashflow boost at this time of year. Premium payments will continue to be issued on a weekly basis throughout the year and I would encourage all participants under the scheme to consider applying online if they wish to avail of the earlier payment."

The Minister added:

"Today’s payment is a reminder of the opportunity which the forestry schemes offer for diversifying farm income with a guaranteed payment for 15 years. The schemes can offer grants to cover the cost of establishing forests and woodlands and annual Premiums of up to €680 per hectare for 15 years. A total of €103.5 million has been made available by the government for the continued development of Ireland’s forest resource and forestry sector in 2019. There are a range of schemes under the current Forestry Programme to suit all scenarios and circumstances and I encourage landowners to examine the various options and discuss with their agricultural adviser."

ENDS

Notes to the Editor:

Further information on the supports available to landowners under the afforestation schemes can be found at can be found on the department’s website Forestry Pages.

Teagasc are a running an upcoming nationwide series of 39 advisory clinics for farmers where one-to one advice is available for farmers from an experienced Teagasc forestry adviser. For clinic dates and contact details see Teagasc Forestry Advisory Clinics.

The Forestry Programme 2014–2020 sets out an ambitious plan to increase Ireland’s forest resource. The bulk of the available funding is to support the Afforestation Grant and Premium Scheme which provides grants to cover the cost of planting and forest maintenance, along with annual forestry premiums for 15 years, to all land owners who plant new forests and woodlands. Eligible broadleaf woodlands can be as small as 0.10 hectare, while the minimum area of eligible conifer forests is 1.00 hectare. There is an obligation for newly planted forests to include at least 15% broadleaves and higher grants are available for broadleaf planting. Forests and woodlands planted for commercial, environmental, aesthetic and amenity purposes are eligible for support under the Scheme.

A county breakdown of the payment per county is attached below.

Forestry Plantation County	Total paid per county
Carlow	198,026
Cavan	984,723
Clare	2,330,287
Cork	3,317,310
Donegal	475,561
Dublin	14,169
Galway	1,267,600
Kerry	2,369,403
Kildare	300,983
Kilkenny	1,077,118
Laois	764,516
Leitrim	942,694
Limerick	1,720,604
Longford	682,600
Louth	98,178
Mayo	1,142,514
Meath	496,045
Monaghan	205,464
Offaly	988,971
Roscommon	1,224,852
Sligo	731,100
Tipperary	2,052,440
Waterford	664,995
Westmeath	853,793
Wexford	772,160
Wicklow	435,262
Total	26,111,368