Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Senator Pippa Hackett, has announced the launch of the Climate Action Performance Payment (CAPP) Scheme for ash dieback. This initiative is part of the comprehensive Ash Dieback Action Plan, which includes a substantial financial support package of up to €237 million for forest owners affected by the ash dieback disease.
Minister Hackett revealed that the CAPP payment will amount to €5,000 per hectare and will be disbursed in three instalments directly to the forest owners. Landowners who have previously received payment for replanting their ash plantation are now eligible to apply for the first instalment of this additional payment through the department’s online portal agfood.ie.
The CAPP scheme targets grant-aided ash forest owners who have either cleared the affected ash trees and replanted through one of DAFM’s ash dieback reconstitution schemes or are in the process of doing so. In addition to the grants provided for clearance and replanting, this payment will be made in three phases: €2,500 after the first grant on the ash reconstitution scheme; €1,250 after the second grant is paid and premium payments on the plantation are completed; and a final €1,250 the following year.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has specified that four reconstitution schemes are eligible under the new CAPP Scheme: Reconstitution Scheme Ash Dieback 2013; Reconstitution and Underplanting Scheme (Ash Dieback) 2020; Interim Reconstitution Scheme for Ash Dieback (via General De Minimis) 2023; Reconstitution for Ash Dieback Scheme 2023-2027. According to DAFM, there are 1,900 hectares of land that are immediately eligible to apply for the first instalment of the CAPP, potentially amounting to €4.75 million in payments to landowners by the year’s end.
Minister Hackett emphasized the significance of this scheme as a vital component of the Ash Dieback Action Plan’s implementation. She urged ash forest owners who have not yet engaged with a reconstitution scheme to do so, highlighting that only upon completion of site clearance and replanting will they be able to apply for CAPP. Minister Hackett stressed the environmental and economic benefits of clearing and re-establishing these plantations, emphasizing the positive impact on carbon sequestration and farm family incomes through the €5,000 per hectare Climate Action Performance Payment.
With the online portal now accessible, Minister Hackett encouraged all eligible forest owners to promptly apply for the Climate Action Performance Payment to ensure receipt of the first instalment before the year concludes.
