Ministers Heydon and Michael Healy-Rae announce payment of €23.5m in annual premiums to more than 6,500 forest owners
- Published on: 14 January 2026
- Last updated on: 14 January 2026
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, TD, today announced the issuing of annual income tax free forestry premium payments for 2026. The payments issued this week to forest owners who applied for their payments through the Department’s Online Services website: www.agfood.ie.
Minister Heydon said:
“These annual premium payments are an important support to forest owners, together with the grants available to assist in the establishment of new plantations, they provide a significant support to maintaining and continuing to expand Ireland’s forestry.”
Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with responsibility for Forestry, Michael Healy-Rae, TD, stated:
“I very much welcome this significant payment to forest owners. Over 24,000 landowners are already enjoying the benefits that forestry brings. I would strongly encourage landowners who might be thinking about planting trees to speak to neighbours who have already done so, and to get in touch with a registered forester or a Teagasc Forestry adviser. The current Forestry Programme pays at the highest rates ever available to forest owners, and there is a range of planting options available for everyone from small-scale native woodlands, to agroforestry, to continuous cover forestry.”
Annual forestry premiums totalling almost €23.5 million were paid in last week’s bulk payment run in respect of just over 6,500 applications.
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 (www.agfood.ie). This facility will remain open all year, and the Department will continue to process online applications for 2026 forest premiums as they are received, with payments being issued on a weekly basis.
Notes to the Editor
The grants available under the Afforestation Grant and Premium Scheme cover the cost of establishing the forest plantation and the payment of an annual forestry premium of up to €1,142 per hectare, for periods of up to 20 years for farmers and 15 years for other applicants. Further information about supports for forestry are available on the Department’s website, (Forestry Grants and Schemes).
