Scope for Forestry on Almost 40,000 Farms,
says Teagasc Expert
Issued 12th April 2002
A further 37,000 farmers could incorporate forestry on their farms without affecting income from conventional agriculture, according to a Teagasc forestry expert.
Addressing the Society of Irish Foresters Conference in Kildare Today (Friday, 12th April), Jim Reidy, National Forestry Development Officer with Teagasc, said during the past decade over 12,000 farmers had planted a total of 250,000 hectares of forestry. When the 400,000 hectares of forests owned by the state forestry company, Coillte, are added to this, forest cover now stands at almost 10% of the total agricultural area .
Mr Reidy said the plethora of EU payments to farmers has made the decision to opt for forestry a complex one for individual farmers. The biggest barrier to forestry is the increased livestock extensification payments where farmers get a top-up payment of €80 per suckler cow and male animal provided the stocking rate on the farm is below a certain level.
However, a detailed analysis by Jim Reidy has shown that 37,000 farmers could plant part of their farms with forestry and still avail of the maximum extensification payment.
"Nationally, a potential additional 400,000 hectares could be available for forestry without affecting livestock payments from the EU. For the farmers concerned, this could represent a real boost to income as the annual forestry premium payment of €400 per hectare is tax free," he said.
He said that some of this additional potential 400,000 hectares may be excluded from forestry because of National Heritage Area designation. Also, some of the land may be unsuitable because of low forestry yield potential. Even allowing for this, the scope for additional farm household and rural income through further expansion of forestry is enormous, he stressed.
Mr Reidy said that while the attitude to forestry among farmers has improved substantially in recent years, many farmers are still reluctant to plant.
"Forestry is only considered at critical times of the family cycle such as inheritance, old age and ill-health. The increasing trend towards part-time farming has brought a more positive attitude as forestry gives by far a higher return per hour worked on the farm than any of the major farm enterprises," he said.
He said the possibility of a change in EU farm policy after 2006 when Agenda 2000 comes to an end could have serious implications for forestry development.
"If EU payments were switched from the animal based system which operates at present to an area based system, the amount of land available for forestry could decline dramatically", he said.
