Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Senator Pippa Hackett, has today (Tuesday, August 20) announced the opening of the Climate Action Performance Payment (CAPP) Scheme for ash dieback.

The scheme forms part of the Ash Dieback Action Plan, which includes an overall financial package of up to €237 million for forest owners impacted by ash dieback disease.

Minister Hackett said that this CAPP payment, totalling €5,000 per hectare, will be paid in three instalments, and will be made directly to the forest owner.

She added that landowners who have already received a payment for replanting their ash plantation may now apply for the first instalment of this additional payment through the department’s online portal agfood.ie.

The CAPP scheme will be paid to grant-aided ash forest owners who either have or will clear the ash and replant through one of the DAFM’s ash dieback reconstitution schemes.

This payment, which is in addition to the grants paid for clearance and replanting, will be made in three instalments:

• €2,500 can be applied for after first grant on ash reconstitution scheme;
• €1,250 can be applied for once the second grant on the reconstitution scheme is paid and premium payments on the affected plantation are complete;
• €1,250 can be applied for the following yea

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The department has confirmed that there are four reconstitution schemes that are eligible under the new CAPP Scheme:

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• 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 1,900ha that will be eligible to apply immediately for the first instalment of the CAPP. This creates a potential payment of €4.75 million to landowners before the end of the year.

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Minister Hackett said that the opening of the scheme “is a key step in the implementation of the Ash Dieback Action Plan”.

She encouraged ash forest owners who have not yet applied for a reconstitution scheme to do so, as only on completion of site clearance and replanting will they become eligible to apply for CAPP.

“Clearing and re-establishing these plantations will deliver for carbon sequestration, by replacing dead sites with vibrant, healthy ones, and for farm family incomes through the €5,000 per hectare Climate Action Performance Payment.

“With the portal now open, I would encourage all eligible forest owners to apply online for the Climate Action Performance Payment so that they receive their first instalment before the end of the year,” she said.

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