There are calls by the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) for land permitted for afforestation to be extended beyond the proposed one hectare (ha), without the landowner having to apply for a license. At present a licence is required for all new proposed forests of 0.1ha or greater, according to the Forestry Act of 2014. IFA Farm Forestry chair Jason Fleming says that for farmers to re-engage with forestry as a viable land-use alternative, the system needs to support the planting of smaller woodlands without the requirement of a licence.
Currently, Fleming says that the forestry model is not working and farmers are no longer willing to commit their land to forestry at the scale required to meet the climate action targets under the current system.
Joint Oireachtas Committee for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Deputy, Jackie Cahill says the lack of afforestation appears to be a major problem at the moment. This comes as less than 3,000 hectares were planted for another year in a row and described the figure as shameful.
The concern about the number of licences being applied has since increased, with Cahill saying that it is below the target set out as the DAFM intends to issue 1,040 afforestation licences this year, which is double the output of 2021.
LSL News.