SHARING OPTIONS:
Limited availability of trees means farmers in Northern Ireland approved under the Small Woodland Grant scheme should submit orders early. \ Philip Doyle
Farmers accepting an offer of contract under the Small Woodland Grant scheme should note that all planting works must be completed before submitting the 2021 Basic Payment Scheme claim.
Under the grant scheme, a standard payment of £2,925/ha will cover site preparation, trees and general site maintenance.
The payment is split with 80% paid in year one and the balance issued in year five. In addition, 10 annual payments of £350/ha are payable to offset income otherwise generated by agricultural activity.
SHARING OPTIONS:
There has been strong interest in the small woodland grant scheme in Northern Ireland. \ Philip Doyle
Farmers planning to submit an application under the small woodland grant scheme are reminded that submissions must be made online before 28 February.
The scheme provides financial assistance for those seeking to establish woodland areas on agricultural land.
Initial interest is strong.
Under the scheme, the minimum planting area is 0.2ha (0.49 acres) of native tree species.
A standard payment of £2,925/ha will cover site preparation, trees and general site maintenance. The payment is split with 80% paid in year one and the balance issued in year five.
There are 4,436 forestry licences awaiting processing by Department of Agriculture officials, the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture heard last Friday.
The Department’s assistant secretary Colm Hayes told Michael Fitzmaurice TD: “There are 4,436 licences on hand in the Department for processing, of which 2,705 are for felling, 691 are for roads and 1,040 are for afforestation.”
He said he had set a figure of 4,500 licences for 2021.
Dissatisfaction
Regarding dissatisfaction with compensation for forest owners with ash dieback chief forestry inspector Seamus Dunne said there were “no plans to review the grant and the scheme”.
He told the committee there had been 250 applications under the scheme and “a few approvals” had been issued.