Over 9,000 forest owners received grant payments in 2025
Latest figures show 9,120 forest owners received an "annual income tax-free premium payment" under the Afforestation Scheme last year.
Cork received the highest number of these payments, 1,003, according to figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
The payments were made available via the government’s Afforestation Scheme 2023-2027, which provides financial support to encourage the planting of trees on land not previously under forest.
An annual premium of up to €1,142/ha is available, depending on the species of trees planted, according to DAFM.
The county with the second highest number of recipients in 2025 was Clare (742 recipients), followed by Kerry (691) and Mayo (639).
Since the scheme started in 2023, a total of 25,667 forest owners have benefitted from the grants as of the end of 2025, the DAFM figures show.
Cork, again, tops the table, with 3,040 recipients between 2023 and the beginning of this year.
The numbers were provided by DAFM Minister of State, Michael Healy-Rae, in response to a parliamentary question raised by Independent TD Paul Nicholas Gogarty.
Available grants
Minister Healy-Rae said: “The grants available under the Afforestation Grant and Premium Scheme include an annual income tax-free premium payment for applicants, and these are made for a period of 20 years for applicants with farmer status and 15 years for other applicants.
The minister also provided a table which he said “details the number of forest owners who received a premium by county in relation to 2025 and the total number of forest owners recorded in each county for 2025 (in receipt of premium, or having already received their final premium)”.
He added: “It should be noted that premia are paid on application by the forest owner annually and some forest owners choose to apply for multiple years periodically.
“Forest owners who have not submitted their online applications so far, can still apply online for their forestry premiums through the department’s online services website.
“This facility remains open all year, and the department will continue to process online applications for forest premiums as they are received, with payments issued on a weekly basis.”
