ALMOST €200,000 has been paid out to forest owners in Carlow who signed up to 2026 forestry premium payments.
The payments, which are income tax free, are issued to landowners who have applied for the Afforestation Grant and Premium Scheme. The afforestation grant covers the cost of establishing a forest plantation on land that was not previously used for forestry.
Landowners who have applied for the premium scheme receive an annual payment of up to €1,142 per hectare for periods of up to 20 years for farmers and 15 years for other applicants.
There are currently 468.82 hectares of forestry in Carlow covered by the payment, which is the third lowest figure nationally.
In total, almost €23.5 million in premiums was issued to over 6,500 landowners. Minister for state at the Department of Agriculture with responsibility for Forestry, Michael Healy-Rae, welcomed the announcement and encouraged landowners who are thinking about planting trees to get in touch with registered advisors.
