595. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of participants in ACRES that applied for afforestation approval under the forestry programme since ACRES was launched; the percentage of total ACRES participants this is; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52929/26]

596. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of participants in ACRES planted land under the forestry programme since ACRES was launched; the percentage of total ACRES participants this is; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52930/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 595 and 596 together.

The position, at the end of June 2026, was that a total of 325 current participants in the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) applied for afforestation approval under Ireland’s National Forestry Programme. This represents 0.6% of the overall number in ACRES.

51 of the current participants in ACRES, which equates to 0.1% of total participants in that Scheme, have planted land under the National Forestry Programme since ACRES was launched.

As outlined in the Terms and Conditions of ACRES, afforestation is fully compatible with ACRES and is recognised as contributing to the creation of a valuable landscape mosaic at farm-level. Opportunities continue to exist for afforestation and for other Forestry Schemes on parcels which are not in ACRES, as a parcel on which an ACRES action is situated may subsequently be split to facilitate afforestation.

There is also a provision whereby my Department may authorise an action undertaken as part of a participant’s ACRES contract to be terminated or its area adjusted before its normal end date without penalty or full reimbursement of funding already paid out, during its period of operation, where the existing commitment under ACRES is completed for a minimum of two years, and the proposed new commitment is part of Ireland’s EU-approved National Forestry Programme. The details of this provision are in the Terms and Conditions for ACRES which are available on my Department’s website.