The Irish Farmers' Association - IFA

Lobbying Organisation The Irish Farmers' Association - IFA

Date published 13 Sep, 2026

Relevant Matter Matters involving public funds

Public Policy Area Finance

Period 1 May. 2026 to 31 Aug. 2026

Specific Details IFA Budget 2027 Submission - New Measures for Forestry

Intended results IFA Propose • The allocation of funding to establish a Forestry Development Agency (FDA) to drive the industry. It would be charged with optimising the performance of the Irish forest sector by providing technical expertise, business support, funding, training, and promoting responsible environmental practice. The establishment of this Agency is critical to achieving national afforestation targets. • The Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) payment under the new programme requires farmers to further erode productive area to qualify for the payment. This is unacceptable and needs to be revised. Farmers should be paid to manage the land they are required to provide as areas for biodiversity enhancement, broadleaves, and environmental requirements. They should not be required further erode productive area to qualify for a payment. The PES rate should reflect the income foregone from timber production and must be extended beyond the 7-year payment period. • Compulsory areas allocated for ecosystem services as part of the current Forestry Programme must be compensated beyond the premium payment to reflect the income foregone for the duration that the land is deemed to be an Ecosystem service provider. • The current Ash Dieback Reconstitution Scheme is an improvement on previous iterations of the scheme, however, further improvements are required. This includes flexibility in the payable clearance grant rate for older and more difficult sites, as recommended in the Independent Review of Ash Dieback Response, and a review of the Climate Action Performance Payment (CAPP) for farmers with older and larger ash woodlands. On the 11th October 2023 Former Minister Pippa Hacket stated, “We will also publish a plan to implement the recommendations of the Ash Dieback Independent Review in the coming weeks.” This action is yet to be carried out. Small Ash dieback affected plots are uneconomical to remove therefore emerging forest payments should be reviewed for these sites. • Amendment to State Aid Guidelines to Support Farmers with Ash Dieback - The guidelines for State Aid in the agricultural and forestry sectors and in rural areas (2022/C 485/01) prevent Member States from providing compensation and annual premium per hectare on forests that need to be restored as a result of damage to forests from plant pests and infestation by invasive alien species. - Agroforestry is expensive to establish in diseased Ash dieback plantation. Therefore, additional funding to be allocated for this type of forestry. • Agroforestry premium to be extended beyond 10 years to compensate the loss of income forgone • Climate Action Performance Payment (CAPP) should be made available to forestry owners without having to apply through the Reconstitution Ash Dieback Scheme 2023- 2027 scheme. DAFM Ash dieback taskforce made the requirement for the Reconstitution Ash Dieback Scheme and CAPP to be combined however, both schemes require trees to be removed. Therefore, a review of the scheme should be considered. The December 2027 Reconstitution Ash Dieback deadline for application should also be extended until all Ash Dieback plantations are re-erected. • The introduction of a Roadside Ash Tree Removal Grant to support farmers to remove diseases roadside ash trees safely is urgently required. The grant should be administered by the Local Authorities, who would be responsible for coordinating the safe removal of the trees by providing grants to support farmers to hire relevant professionals to safely fell these trees. • Green Certificate College Forestry Module. The introduction of a Forestry module should be included in the Green Certificate curriculum to encourage the next generation of farmers to view forestry as a farming practice. Additionally, knowledge transfer programmes should include forestry modules. • A Government co funded National Insurance Scheme should be considered for all Forestry plant, pest, and disease outbreaks, windblow, fire, natural disaster events. • A forestry budget similar to TAMS whereby funding is allocated solely to forestry for small attachments such as sheers, rotators, grabs, forestry trailers with/without a built-on crane, Safety gear etc. • Government support on under pinning in legalisation the right to sell private timber by cubic meter similar to Coillte payment metrics. • Plant health and biosecurity measures should be further resourced, with quarantine practices reviewed for all potted plants being imported into Ireland.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Francie Gorman IFA President, Alice Doyle IFA Deputy President, Damian McDonald IFA Director General, Elaine Farrell IFA Director of Governance & Oireachtas Engagement, Tadhg Buckley IFA Director of Policy & Chief Economist, Robert Malone IFA Senior Policy Executive, Shane Whelan IFA Senior Policy Executive

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Mass communications

Letter All TDs

Submission All TDs

Letter All Senators

Submission All Senators

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Email (11-20)

Meeting (2-5)

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Dee Ryan Senator (Seanad)

Deirdre Gillane Chief of Staff (Department of the Taoiseach)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Holly Cairns TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Jack Chambers Minister (Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform)

Jack O'Donnell Special Advisor to the Tanaiste (Department of Finance)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill Minister (Department of Health)

Jennifer Whitmore TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

John Clendennen TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Matt Carthy TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Micheál Martin Taoiseach (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Niall Collins Minister of State (Department of Justice)

Nicole Ryan Senator (Seanad)

Nikki Bradley Senator (Seanad)

Noel O'Donovan Senator (Seanad)

Pat the Cope Gallagher TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Paul Daly Senator (Seanad)

Robbie Gallagher Senator (Seanad)

Rose Conway-Walsh TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Simon Harris Tánaiste and Minister (Department of Finance)