Local TD Claire Kerrane has called on the government to give clarity on the announced approval of an afforestation grant scheme by the European Commission.
It was announced this week that the European Commission has provided approval for a grant scheme to support investments in afforestation under EU state aid rules.
She said that some media reports suggested that only partial approval has been received, with €308 million being referenced for the afforestation grant scheme.
The Department for Agriculture, Food and the Marine issued a press statement confirming approval of afforestation measures by the European Commission, but it did not clarify the total amount approved, Deputy Kerrane said.
The Sinn Féin TD said that many questions “remain unanswered”.
“Some media reports are indicating that only partial approval has been received. This would be unexpected as that point wasn’t referenced in the Ministers’ comments on the matter.
“It is positive that partial approval has been granted, but unusual that this important detail has not been included by the Ministers announcing this update, should this be the case.
“€308m equates to less than 25% of the announced €1.3bn for the Forestry Programme 2023-2027. It is crucial that the Ministers provide clarification and additional detail on the approved amount.”
Deputy Kerrane said that farmers and foresters deserve to know exactly what amount has been approved and what it has been approved for.
