Even with the availability of grant aid offers of €6,220 per hectare for the establishment of agroforestry in Ireland, landowners haven’t rushed out in their droves to take up the opportunity. To date, only 18 agroforestry grant aid applications have been approved and planted since 2015. These comprise 42 hectares,
Only five premiums are available compared to 15 in the other 11 categories of the national Afforestation Grant and Premium Scheme. In Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue’s view, the reduced number of annual premiums available is the main barrier preventing increased take-up.
The Department of Agriculture received 90 applications, for 334ha, but some applicants withdrew them before the approval process was finalised. About one-third were approved, but many have not yet progressed to planting, and 22 agroforestry applications are currently being processed, comprising an area of 122ha.
The Minister said increasing options and incentives for agroforestry on farms will be an important consideration in the design of the next forestry programme. Grant-aided agroforestry permits planting of 400 to 1,000 trees per hectare, but plots must be a minimum of half a hectare, and at least 20 meters wide.
Ireland lags behind other EU countries in terms of agroforestry. It is estimated at around 20m hectares in the EU, equivalent to almost 12% of the utilised agricultural area, which compares to the organic area which is 8.5%.
Minister McConalogue stated that increasing options and incentives for agroforestry on farms in Ireland will be an important consideration in the design of the next forestry programme.
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