Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon announced the payments, which he described as ‘an important support to forest owners, together with the grants available to assist in the establishment of new plantations’. “They provide a significant support to maintaining and continuing to expand Ireland’s forestry,” he said.
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility for Forestry, Michael Healy Rae, TD, stated: “Over 24,000 landowners are already enjoying the benefits that forestry brings. I would strongly encourage landowners who might be thinking about planting trees to speak to neighbours who have already done so, and to get in touch with a registered forester or a Teagasc forestry adviser. The current forestry programme pays at the highest rates ever available to forest owners, and there is a range of planting options available for everyone from small-scale native woodlands to agroforestry, to continuous cover forestry.
Forest owners who have not submitted their online applications so far, can still apply online for their forestry premiums through the DAFM’s online services website (www.agfood.ie). This facility will remain open all year, and the DAFM will continue to process online applications for 2026 forest premiums as they are received, with payments being issued on a weekly basis.