I ask for an update on afforestation levels under the new forestry programme and for the most up-to-date figures in respect of the number of licences approved so far this year.

The Minister of State will be well aware that there are significant concerns regarding the many limitations of the new forestry programme. I have engaged across the board in relation to forestry and have not met a single farmer, forester, organisation representing those involved in forestry, private forestry company or mill that has any confidence in the forestry programme. They have raised significant concerns, particularly around the limitations. They cannot all be wrong. While the Minister of State has moved to …

I presume that the Minister of State and I are meeting the same groups. She has met SEEFA and I have met that association many times. I am sure she is aware of the concerns raised by many of the farm organisations, particularly the forestry section of the IFA. They are all saying the same thing. The maps speak for themselves in showing the very large swathes of land across the island of Ireland that are subject to limitations and restrictions. The mapping shows huge tracts of land that are likely to be ineligible f…

Will he provide an update on the delays relating to ACRES payments, in particular on when the interim payments he announced will be made? These have been welcomed broadly. When will those be paid?

I thank the Minister. That confirmation of payment at the end of the month is very welcome. As I said, we welcomed the interim payments. All the farm organisations welcomed them as well. This is a scheme that we all want to see work. It is, as the Minister described it, the flagship environmental scheme. There was huge demand for the scheme, and it was welcome that all 46,000 applicants were allowed in. I acknowledge that. However, when farmers are so willing to take part in something like ACRES and doing the work …

It is important to clarify that the Minister is saying that, aside from the five-year averaging option that just over 5,000 farmers avail of, which is a very small amount, that this is the only option available when they will receive these two payments. The five-year averaging option is the only option for farmers to try to reduce the tax they have to pay this year. If that is the case, the averaging option needs to be communicated to farmers and to ACRES participants because it is not their fault that the payments…

Yes.

Will the Minister provide an update on the Shannon Callows flood scheme and the ongoing issues raised by farmers there and, in particular, the Save Our Shannon Organisation, which has corresponded with the Minister about these issues? He will be well aware that from Athlone to Meelick, farmland has been destroyed by flooding and farmers are under huge pressure concerning fodder, which is costly and scarce. Will the Minister provide an update on the scheme?

I thank the Minister for the update. Along with many others, including many of the farmers concerned, I welcomed that funding, which I acknowledge. Does the Minister have any idea of the timeline for dealing with the 64 requests for review that have been made? Farmers are obviously under great pressure. I refer to financial pressure in particular but this has also had a substantial impact on their mental health and that of their families. They have been put under great pressure. Some have got some bit of compensati…

A farmer whose land was separated from another farmer's land got an expression of interest form, his land having been identified by the AMS, and got compensation. The farmer whose land was separated from that first farmer's land by a drain did not. That tells me there is an issue with the monitoring system. I again ask the Minister to look at that because it is not fair to farmers to have to rely on a system that clearly has not worked. The Minister could visit the area given the concerns that have been put to him …

Concerns have been raised about Department plans to impose buffer zones around areas where turf cutting is permitted in commonage areas and the very real impact this may have on scores under the agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, and possibly reduced ACRES payments. Will the Minister give us an update on the Department plans on this?

It is the case then that a proposal has been made for this 100 m buffer zone around where turbary activity is taking place and turf is being cut on common areas. Many farmers on commonage areas may not be cutting turf but they will be impacted if such a buffer zone actually comes to pass. The Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association, INHFA, said it had discussions with the Department last year and an understanding was reached that allowed for the areas where the turf is being cut to be separated. The Minister refe…

I ask that this work is completed as quickly as possible. In the Minister's reply he clearly outlined at the very start that they would be scored separately and then, by the sounds of things, the co-operation project teams implemented the buffer zone anyway. This appears to have been implemented and it should not have been. The INHFA is very concerned. Its representatives met with the Department last year and an agreement was reached, and now clearly this has been changed. I appreciate that the Minister is looking …

This question asks for an update on the women farmers' capital investment scheme under TAMS. Will the Minister advise whether he will seek to review the eligibility criteria for the scheme given the very low number of approved applications and given that concerns had been raised by the Women in Agriculture Stakeholders Group about the criteria set out for the knowledge transfer and for the scheme under TAMS before the approvals were made?

I thank the Minister of State for his response. It is welcome that 68 of the 259 applications that have been submitted have been approved and letters have been issued. Obviously there is a long way to go with the remaining applications. I presume the Department is getting through them as quickly as possible. This is important. I want to raise again the issue of the limiting eligibility criteria. This has been raised for months, especially by the Women in Agriculture Stakeholders Group. It had flagged that the crite…

I appreciate that schemes such as TAMS are constantly examined with regard to eligibility criteria. Again I make the point that the Women in Agriculture Stakeholders Group has raised issues for months about the eligibility criteria for TAMS and for knowledge transfer. Given that it has raised these concerns, I ask that specifically the payment under TAMS for the women farmers' capital investment scheme and the specific eligibility criteria for the scheme be looked at. Will the Minister of State give a timeline for …

Will the Minister provide an update on the proposed solution for forgotten farmers? As he knows, it is long overdue and we are still awaiting the details of what the scheme will look like.

I acknowledge that this has been a priority for the Minister, but as he mentioned, this situation has been going on for a long time. To clarify, he stated that a system had to be built. Is it the case that he knows what the scheme for forgotten farmers looks like? That is not clear to the general public. I have been contacted repeatedly by forgotten farmers, who are in a desperate situation and questioning whether they can continue farming. That is concerning. Does the Minister have the scheme’s outline? What will …

I know that the general cohort of farmers was detailed previously, but I do not believe that a detailed outline of the scheme has been published. This would be important. There is no point in building a system for payments if we do not know what the scheme will look like. We need to be clear with the forgotten farmers about who will be able to join the scheme. I ask that the Minister publish a detailed outline of the scheme before he builds anything to make payments. Has he engaged with the farm organisations and t…

What work has the Department under way when it comes to supporting farm succession and generational renewal? I commend Macra na Feirme in particular on doing a great deal of work on succession and supporting the next generation on to the farm. I was a little surprised that at the recent Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association conference, which the Minister attended, a number of the questions from the audience were not so much about ACRES, different schemes and late payments, but about the next generation and enc…